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NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



THE LITTLE GUIDES 



CAMBRIDGE AND ITS 

COLLEGES 
OXFORD AND ITS COLLEGES 

st paul's cathedral 
westminster abbey 

the english lakes 
the malvern country 
Shakespeare's country 

buckinghamshire 
cheshire 
cornwall 
derbyshire 

DEVON 

DORSET 

ESSEX 

HAMPSHIRE 

HERTFORDSHIRE 

THE ISLE OF WIGHT 

KENT 

MIDDLESEX 



MONMOUTHSHIRE 

NORFOLK 

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 

NORTHUMBERLAND 

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

OXFORDSHIRE 

SOMERSET 

STAFFORDSHIRE 

SUFFOLK 

SURREY 

SUSSEX 

WILTSHIRE 

THE EAST RIDING OF 
YORKSHIRE 

THE NORTH RIDING OF 
YORKSHIRE 

NORTH WALES 

KERRY 

BRITTANY 

CHANNEL ISLANDS 

NORMANDY 

ROME 

SICILY 




NEWARK CHURCH 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

By 
EVERARD L. GUILFORD, M.A. 

With Thirty Illustrations and 
Three Maps 



6 Turn to these scenes, these well-known scenes, 
once more, 
Tread once again old Trent's romantic shore." 

H. Kirke White 



LONDON 

METHUEN & CO 

36 Essex St. Strand 



^ c 



^ 






First Published in igio 



TO 

S. G. AND H. G. 

THIS LITTLE BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY 

DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR 

AS A SMALL TOKEN OF 

A GREAT DEBT 



PREFACE 

TN this little book I have tried to compress the 
vast and interesting collection of facts bearing 
on the history, natural features and antiquities of 
the county. I have taken as my model Mr F. G. 
Brabant's excellent " Guide to Sussex " in this 
series — a book which I have had the frequent 
pleasure of using, and valuing. 

It is more than thirty years since a guide-book 
to the whole county appeared, and this is strange 
when we consider that there are few great events 
in the history of England which do not find 
their echo in Nottinghamshire. Wherever we 
turn the facts crowd on us, and the work of 
selection and elimination has been no small one. 
I believe that no place of importance has been 
omitted and I have tried to make the book 
as up-to-date and correct as possible by visiting 
personally all the places I have described. Here 
and there where authorities differ as to the actual 
course of events I have ventured to suggest 
theories which, of course, cannot hope to meet 
with universal approval. Even the most careful 
supervision cannot prevent the occurrence of 
mistakes, and I shall be very grateful if my readers 
vii 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

will point out to me any which come to their 
notice. 

It is impossible to give a complete list of 
all those who have helped me so readily and 
courteously at many and various times ; but I 
must thank especially the Rev. Dr J. C. Cox for 
all that he has done, for his encouragement, for 
his kindness in reading through the manuscript, 
and for the many additions and improvements 
which he has suggested. To my friend Mr 
Bernard Smith I tender my most grateful thanks 
for his illuminating and original article on the 
physical features of the county. Special thanks 
are also due to Mr T. M. Blagg, F.S.A., Pro- 
fessor J. W. Carr, M.A., etc., Mr J. T. Godfrey, 
Mr J. C. Warren, M.A., and Mr G. H. Wallis, 
for much valuable assistance. To these and to all 
other helpers, too numerous to mention, I am 
deeply indebted. 

There is a large mass of material bearing on 
the history and antiquities of Nottinghamshire, 
and of this I have made full use. The first 
volume of the " Victoria History of Nottingham- 
shire," the Transactions of the Thoroton Society, 
and of the Associated Architectural Societies, the 
late Mr Lawson Lowe's " Guide to Nottingham- 
shire" (1875, Black), and "Old Churches of the 
Mansfield Deanery," by Walkerdine and Buxton 
(1907) have been especially useful. 

So many of the most beautiful places in the 



PREFACE 

county are unknown, apparently, to the book 
illustrator, that I have tried to obtain photographs 
of as many of these little-known places of beauty 
as possible. To Mr Harry Gill I wish to express 
my thanks for the help he has given me in this 
connection. 

E. L. G. 

23 Lenton Avenue 
The Park 
Nottingham 



CONTENTS 

Introduction : — 

I. Situation, Extent and Boundaries 
II. General Physical Features 

III. Climate 

IV. Flora and Fauna 

V. Distribution of Population — Town 
and Country 

VI. Communications 

VII. Industries . 

VIII. History 

IX. Antiquities 

X. Celebrated Men 

Description of Places in Nottingham- 
shire ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY 

Index ....... 

xi 



PAGE 

I 

2 

is 

17 

21 

2 3 

26 

3 1 
33 

42 

48 
217 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

Railway Map of Nottinghamshire Front Cover 
Newark Church . . . Frontispiece 

[From a Photograph by JV, H, Warsop) 

FACING PAGE 

Geological Map of Nottinghamshire . 2^ 

The Eagre on the Trent . . 26 / 

[From a Photograph by J. Valentine llf Sons) 

Newstead Priory ..... 40^ 

(From a Photograph by the Photochrom Co. ) 

Haywood Oaks, Blidworth . . -59 

(From (i Royal Forests of England" by Dr J. C, Cox) 



The Old Schoolhouse, Bunny . . .66 

Clifton Grove . . . . 72 

(From a Photograph by F. Frith & Co. ) 

Clumber House . . . . 74, 

(From a Photograph by J. Valentine Iff Sons) 

The Trent, Colwick Trees . . . 78 

(From a Photograph by F, Frith tlf Co.) 

Hawton Church, Easter Sepulchre . . 97 

xiii 






NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

FACING PAGE 

Holme Church, South Porch . . . ioo 

Keyworth Church . 103 

Langar Church ..... 108 

{By permission of JS/Ir J. T. Godfrey) 

East Leake, The Shawm . . . . 11c 

Lenton Church, The Font . . .112 

Top Cross, Linby . . . . .114 

[From a Photograph by A. Lineker) 

Mattersey . . . . . . 117 

{From a Photograph by S. W. Barloiv Vines) 

Newark Castle . . . . .122 

{From a Photograph by the Photochrom Co.) 

Newstead Priory, The Cloisters . .128 

[From a Photograph by the Photochrom Co. ) 

Nottingham Castle . . . . 134 

{From a Photograph by F. Frith Iff Co. ) 

Nottingham Market Place . . .141 

{From a Photograph by the Photochrom Co. ) 

Rufford Abbey . . • . .161 

{From a Photograph by the Photochrom Co. ) 

Scrooby, Brewster's House . . .164 

{From a Photograph by H. Gill) 

xiv 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



Sherwood Forest .... 

{By per mission of the Nottingham Reproductions Co, 

Sibthorpe, The Dovecote 
Southwell Minster from North 

(From a Photograph by J. Valentine Iff Sons^) 

Alabaster Head, Strelley Church . 
Thurgarton, Priory Church . 

(From a Photograph by H. Gill) 

Tuxford Church, Font Cover . 



Wollaton Hall 

(From a Photograp 



FACING PAGE 
I7O, 



172^ 
178 

I 9 I 
197 

199 
2IO 



F. Frith Iff Co.) 

Worksop, Priory Gatehouse . . .214 

Map of Nottinghamshire ... at end 

Where not otherwise acknowledged the illustrations 
are from photographs by the author. 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

INTRODUCTION 

I. Situation, Extent, and Boundaries 

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE is one of the North 
Midland counties of England. On the 
north it is bounded by Yorkshire, on the east 
by Lincolnshire, on the south by Leicestershire 
and on the west by Derbyshire. In shape it is 
an elongated oval, leaning slightly towards the 
north-east. Its greatest length, 50 m., is from 
north to south ; its greatest breadth, 25 m., is 
from east to west, the average breadth being 
about 18 m. Its extreme points are : 

N. long. o° 57' (W.), lat. 53 30' (near 
Finningley). 

E. long. o° 38' (W.); lat. 53 16' (some 2 m. 
to the east of Thorney). 

S. long. i° 3' (W.), lat. 52° 47' (at Six Hills). 

W. long. i° 20' (W.), lat. 53° 4/ (near Pye 
Hill Station). 

The circumference of the county is 14.0 m., 
enclosing an area of 826 sq. m. Among the 
English counties it is twenty-seventh in size. 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



II. General Physical Features, by Bernard 
Smith, M.A. 1 

In general elevation the greater part of Notting- 
hamshire is low. Small tracts in the west and 
south-west rise slightly above the 500 or 600 ft. 
contour line, as, for example, in Newstead Park and 
at Cockpit Hill, near Woodborough, whilst Robin 
Hood's Hill attains a height of over 600 ft., as do 
also those at Huthwaite, Teversal and Kirkby. 
Northward and eastward the average summit levels 
gradually decline to the low-lying Trent Valley, 
and upon its eastern side only reach 200 ft. level 
in two places. In the south, however, the Wolds 
rise to some 400 ft. near Upper Broughton. 

The scenery and physical features of the county 
are controlled by the geological structure and by 
the river Trent with its tributaries. 

The following formations are represented : — 

r Soils. 
Superficial deposits -[ River deposits. 
I Glacial deposits. 

A great interval of time during which earth 
movements took place, overlying beds were stripped 
off, and the sculpture of the country proceeded. 

1 Compiled from the publications of H.M. Geological 
Survey ; J. F Blake's account of the geology of the 
county in the "Victoria History of Notts.," vol. i. ; Dr 
W. Gibson's " Geology of Coal Mining," Dr Wake's 
i 'History of Collingham," and Cornelius Brown's 
" History of Newark," as well as from personal notes and 
observations. 



Coal __ 
Measures M 

Permian Mi 

Bunter El 

Keuper ED 

Rheetic ED3 

Lias H 

Alluvium Q 



... -£^TW«nife^ 

^Jpltertoii A; 

'<£%\ : - - — - - Ncwaf ly|?^ 

^•.^S- : : = -r-'A :.O.SoilfllWellQ Z'" " C 



|_j 5 j 8 19 12 14 16 h 



GEOLOGICAL MAP OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



GENERAL PHYSICAL FEATURES 

Jurassic System ^ T T . 

J , / 1 x \ Lower Lias, 

(part only) J 

Rhaetic. 

Keuper Marl. 

Triassic System [ Keuper Waterstones. 

Bunter Pebble Beds. 

Lower Mottled Sandstone. 

Permian Marl. 

p • c I Magnesian Limestone with 

"» Marl Slate and Breccia at 

base. 

Interval of time with earth movements, uplift and 
great erosion. 

Carboniferous System Coal Measures. 

Beneath the Coal Measures the Millstone Grit, 
the Yoredale Shales and the Mountain Limestone 
(Derbyshire, etc.) have been found in deep borings, 
but do not crop out at the surface in the county. 
The Coal Measures represent the floor of old rocks 
which the younger Permian, Triassic and Jurassic 
rocks deposited in succession. This floor of old 
rocks had been warped and elevated, and for 
many years exposed to destructive action, hence it 
is evident that in certain places more of the Coal 
Measures will be present than in others ; in the 
far south they are entirely absent and much older 
rocks are exposed to view. 

The Measures, which cover such a large area 
west of the county boundary, occupy only 36 
sq. m. of surface in the county itself. They 
disappear eastward beneath the Permian and 
younger rocks, but for some distance are found under 
comparatively thin cover, so that coal seams are 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

mined at several points. In deep borings they 
have been reached as far east as Thurgarton, and 
are probably continuous at some depth under the 
greater part of the county in this direction, for they 
are considered to have been also found at South 
Scarle. The Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and 
Yorkshire Coalfield is the largest, and next to 
South Wales, where some of the coals are superior, 
the most important, in Great Britain, and the 
concealed portion contains the greatest reserve of 
coal in the British Islands. In 1906 the output 
amounted to about 60,000,000 tons, nearly 
twice that of South Wales. In Nottinghamshire 
the Top Hard Coal (Barnsley Hard of Yorkshire) 
of the middle division of the Coal Measure is the 
most important bed. The coal seams are fre- 
quently associated with strata containing marine 
fossils. Such coals were evidently formed of vege- 
tation accumulated near sea-level ; others again 
have fresh-water mollusca in their vicinity, which 
points to a land origin. Probably the horsetails, 
clubmosses and ferns all grew in low river valleys 
or on plains near sea-level, but whether individual 
seams represent vegetation which actually lived and 
died upon the spot or whether the vegetation 
drifted away from the place of growth and accumu- 
lated in river estuaries or shallow seas, is still a 
matter of discussion. 

The Coal Measures are a group of strata con- 
sisting chiefly of alternating layers of sandstone, 
grit, shale, clay and coal. In Notts, they are 
1900 ft. thick, and of this amount only 83 ft. 
is coal, which occurs in separate seams seldom 
exceeding 4 ft. in thickness. Many seams are 
too thin to work, but usually several are grouped 



GENERAL PHYSICAL FEATURES 

together, whilst the groups may be separated by 
several hundred feet of barren strata. 

The strata can be well seen in the cuttings at 
Kimberley and near Heath, where the surface is 
well clothed with vegetation and is undulating, the 
sandstones and grits forming the hills and the 
shales the lower ground. 

As stated above, the Coal Measures have been 
altered in position since they were laid down 
layer upon layer, in nearly horizontal beds. At 
the end of the Carboniferous Period there was 
a long interval of time, during which there was 
no deposition of sediment in the district now 
called England ; but slow and long-continued 
earth movements took place which upheaved the 
backbone of England — -the Pennine Chain — so 
that the rocks dipped to east and west from its 
axis and formed basinlike hollows on its flanks. 
Thus the Coal Measures which once covered the 
Pennines were uplifted and exposed to the ceaseless 
attack of the atmospheric agents — sun (heat), 
frost, wind, rain and rivers — which stripped them 
away and exposed the Millstone Grit, Yoredale 
Rocks and Mountain Limestone below them and 
separated the coalfields of Lancashire and North 
Staffordshire from that of Nottinghamshire, Derby- 
shire and Yorkshire. At the close of this period 
sediments were again deposited in restricted 
(perhaps desert) seas over the lower ground upon 
our flank of the Pennines and around their 
southern termination. The first-formed rocks 
rest upon different parts of the Coal Measures and 
a coarse conglomerate or breccia at their base 
marks the old shore-line. 

The Permian and Triassic rocks overlying the 

5 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Coal Measures north of an east-and-west line 
through Nottingham follow each other in regular 
succession, dipping gently to the east. This 
easterly dip (which is the result of a much later 
set of earth movements), together with the erosive 
action of rivers and the atmosphere, has given rise 
to a series of long ridges or escarpments with their 
steep slopes facing west. Escarpments are the 
basset-edges of the more resistent beds which have 
become prominent through the destruction of the 
softer rocks above and below them ; and in 
general, the shape of every valley, hill or ridge is 
due to the sculpture of the different formations in 
proportion to their various degrees of resistance 
to destruction. The production of these bold 
escarpments and steep slopes on the valley flanks 
gives a deceptive appearance of great height to any 
particular hill because a very extensive view from 
its summit is possible owing to the low elevation 
of the district as a whole. 

The Magnesian Limestone, which extends 
southward in a broad continuous belt from the 
coast of Durham, has become much attenuated 
before it enters the county, and, still diminishing, 
reaches its southerly termination at Nottingham. 
In its typical form it is a yellowish rock full of 
rhombohedral crystals with intervening hollows, 
the whole having a sugary texture. It is every- 
where water-bearing and is much used as a 
building stone. Some parts are very sandy — e.g. 
near Mansfield — whereas others form a beautiful 
Dolomite, as at Mansfield Woodhouse and Bolsover 
Moor. 

Permian Marls form low ground like that of 
the broad shallow valley of the Leen, where the 



GENERAL PHYSICAL FEATURES 

Magnesian Limestone forms a platform rising 
gently westwards and ending in a bold escarpment. 

Triassic deposits cover more than three-quarters 
of the surface of the county. 

The Lower or Bunter division consists mainly 
of sands, soft sandstones and pebble beds whose 
characteristics are well seen in that district once 
occupied by Sherwood Forest. This belt of 
sandy, somewhat unprofitable land — 9 m. wide 
between Robin Hood's Hill and Farnsfield, and 
with an average height of above 400 ft. above 
sea-level — commences with an escarpment on the 
west and forms an undulating district, in whose 
valleys few brooks or streams are to be seen. 
(The Newstead and Welbeck lakes, and to some ex- 
tent those of Thoresby and Clumber, are held up by 
the impervious Permian Marls below.) Though 
relatively unprofitable from an agricultural point 
of view it does not fail in picturesqueness, a large 
area between Rufford and Worksop being still 
forest land, whilst it is of inestimable value as a 
reservoir containing a large supply of wholesome 
water. The catchment area is over 120 sq. m. in 
extent. Mansfield, Newark, Retford, Southwell 
and Worksop all draw largely upon it, and it has 
lately been tapped for the supply of Lincoln city. 
Where it disappears beneath the Keuper covering 
its waters are sought by boring. 

The greater part of Nottingham city is built 
upon the pebbly sandstones which terminate in 
the steep bluffs overlooking the Trent flats and 
culminate in the Castle Crag. This rock is easily 
cut, and does not fall from a roof of large size. The 
late Professor Blake remarks : " For this reason the 
rock is often cut into chambers, caves, and passages, 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

with which the city of Nottingham abounds, of 
which Mortimer's Hole in the Castle Rock is 
one. . . . Most of the cellars in the centre of the 
city are rock cellars and passages are often dis- 
covered in making excavations. . . . Probably the 
whole city is more or less excavated like a piece 
of bored wood. . . . The catacombs in the Church 
Cemetery are modern excavations." 

The famous Hemlock Stone is a fine example 
of atmospheric weathering. It consists of a capping 
of the pebbly sandstone which has been hardened 
by the deposition about its grains of barium 
sulphate by inflltering waters in the past. The 
lower part of the stone is soft and hardly impreg- 
nated at all, and would soon be worn away were 
it not for the resistent capping above. 

The Keuper division consists of red (and green) 
clayey marls and shales, with thin red, pink and 
white sandstones. The lower beds — waterstones 
— are similar to the marls, but contain relatively 
more sandstones, which are usually red in colour, 
and may be important enough to form distinct 
escarpments, like that extending from Oxton to 
Edingley Hill. The upper parts, however, often 
form long concave slopes leading up to the steeper 
rise marking the escarpment of the Keuper Marls. 
This escarpment runs from Nottingham to Halam 
and Southwell and passes east of Bilsthorpe, Wellow 
and Markham Clinton to Retford, but it is breached 
here and there by streams which rise in the sand- 
stone of the forest and flow to the Trent. 

Thin hard pale-coloured sandstones in the 
Keuper Marls (locally called " Skerry " and com- 
prising, amongst others, the building stones of 
Maplebeck and Tuxford), though not often more 

8 



GENERAL PHYSICAL FEATURES 

than one or two feet in thickness, have a consider- 
able effect upon the outlines of the country. 
Thus the flat-topped escarpment of the Marls and 
the little plateaux between this escarpment and 
the Trent Valley owe their characters mainly to 
the presence of skerries ; and the alternations of 
broad shallow troughs and low ridges in the lower 
ground south of the Trent are due to the same 
cause. Good examples are furnished by "The 
Plains," about I m. S.E. of Arnold, Mickleborough 
Hill, Upton, near Southwell, and by the well- 
dissected plateau between Laxton, Tuxford and 
Askham. 

While the Bunter probably represents the de- 
posits of large rivers brought down into current- 
swept land-locked waters, the Keuper appears to 
have been deposited in the quiet waters of the' 
large salt lake or inland sea, at a time when desert 
conditions prevailed over the surrounding land. 
The extensive deposits of Gypsum, extracted at 
Newark, Bowbridge, Cropwell Bishop, East Bridg- 
ford, East Leake, Hawton and other places, are 
witnesses of the concentration of the waters of the 

inland seas, and the casts of crystals of common 

/■ 

salt together with sun-cracks and ripple-marks in 
the shales and sandstones also point to the frequent 
desiccation of the area. 

The Rhaetic deposits form a low but very 
definite escarpment, capped by the lowest beds of 
the Lias. The feature is easily traceable from 
Cotgrave through Elton and Cotham to Beacon 
Hill near Newark. Marine fossils are found in 
this deposit, but the mollusca belong to a limited 
number of species, mostly dwarfed, as though the 
conditions had not been favourable to a purely 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

marine fauna, such as that found in the overlying 
Lias. The Rhaetic, therefore, is interpreted as 
marking the first inroads of the sea upon the region 
in which desert conditions had previously pre- 
vailed. 

Lower Lias forms a small portion of the south- 
east part of the county occupied by the Vale of 
Belvoir and the Wolds. The lower beds consist 
of blue shale interstratified with thin beds of highly 
fossiliferous clayey limestone. Many pits have been 
dug in them either for the making of hydraulic 
cement, as at Barnston, or for the extraction of 
road-metal, flagstones or building stones. 

A long interval of time, during which the rocks 
were slightly tilted to the east, separates the above 
described "solid" rocks from the superficial deposits. 
If any younger rocks ever covered the area — and 
some no doubt did — they had been stripped away 
by long-continued erosion before the deposition 
of the superficial deposits, which are comparatively 
recent, and occur in patches upon the underlying 
rocks. 

The oldest are the Glacial Drifts, accumulated 
at a time when Arctic conditions prevailed in this 
country. The largest mass is the Boulder Clay, 
which forms a plateau extending from Cropwell 
Wolds southward to Upper Broughton and Wimes- 
wold and is continuous with the sheet of Great 
Chalky Boulder Clay of East Anglia. 

This Boulder Clay is the ground-moraine of the 
ice which invaded the southern part of the county 
from the north-east. Other important masses of 
Boulder Clay, derived from a somewhat different 
point of origin, lie at Blidworth and Kneesall. 

Glacial deposits of a gravelly and sandy nature, 

10 



GENERAL PHYSICAL FEATURES 

like that upon the ridge east of Annesley, are also 
represented, many of which were undoubtedly 
formed by the waters associated with ice-sheets. 
Other examples are to be seen at Gringley and 
Kersall Lodge, and again at Blidworth, where the 
gravels have been cemented by innltering waters into 
masses of rock now weathered out and shaped by 
men into what are popularly known as " Druidical 
Remains." 

Deposits younger than the Glacial Drift are 
always definitely associated with the existing valley 
system, and prove the continuity of the land 
drainage since the close of the Glacial Period. 
They consist of river gravels, loams and other 
alluvial sediments, occurring either on the valley 
floors or in irregular terraces along their flanks. 

The oldest gravels probably belong to the 
closing stages of the Glacial Period, when the 
rivers were subject to seasonal floods of powerful 
volume. Gravels of this character line the south 
side of the Trent flats between West Bridgford 
and Radcliffe, and form a well-marked terrace or 
plateau running north-east from Newark and 
Langford to within i m. of the outskirts of 
Lincoln. Similar gravels are found in the 
Witham Valley upon the east side of the gap in 
the "Cliff" at Lincoln. From this and other 
evidence, it is thought that the river of those 
days reached the sea via the Lincoln Gap. 
Possibly its free exit by way of the H umber was 
closed by a barrier of retreating ice. The Trent 
subsequently excavated its broad trench deeper 
into the Keuper Marls, and continued to bring 
down from its higher reaches huge masses of 
gravel, which were spread in sheets and low banks 

ii 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

over the whole of the valley floor. At this stage 
some of the waters still went out to sea via 
Lincoln, but by a circuitous route round the 
north-west flanks of the Eagle and Doddington 
Hills. The waters apparently flowed on both 
sides of the higher ground occupied by North and 
South Clifton, and, as might be expected, all the 
river deposits become finer and finer when traced 
downstream. 

On the east bank of the river, from North 
Collingham to beyond North Clifton and farther 
north near Misterton there are deposits of blown 
sand often rising into picturesque dunes some 20 ft. 
high. They were formed by south-west winds 
blowing over the spreads of gravel, then more 
exposed than at present. They swathe the exposed 
flanks of the rising ground, and still tend to move 
to the north-east when interfered with by 
agricultural operations. 

The present alluvium is a fine loam and silty 
clay which partly buries the older deposits ; it is 
quite evident that the Old Trent was a river of 
much greater spread and swiftness than its present- 
day equivalent. 

Old channels of the Trent, partially silted up, 
are frequently met with, the most interesting 
perhaps being the Fleet stream with its expansions 
between Winthorpe and Girton Stakes, different 
parts having probably been occupied by the river 
at different times. Abandoned meandering 
channels are traceable over the large " Holmes " 
near Bole and Burton, Carlton, Clifton, 
Fledborough and Kelham, and also between Newark 
and Nottingham. 

Alluvial deposits also mark the courses of 

12 



GENERAL PHYSICAL FEATURES 

tributaries of the Trent. In some of these side 
valleys there used to be, until quite recently, broad 
marshy expanses or meres, badly drained and 
water-logged, choked by a profusion of reeds and 
inhabited by swarms of fresh-water mollusca. 
Springs issuing from the Keuper " Skerries " 
deposited lime about the bases and stems of the 
reeds, giving rise to beautiful casts in tufa. Such 
deposits may be seen at Kingshaugh, Scarthing 
Moor, Moorhouse, Caunton, Lambley Dumble, 
and other places. Near Bunny and Bingham also 
large spreads of peaty alluvium with fresh-water 
shells testify to the former existence of shallow 
lakes. At Caunton and Maplebeck many animals — 
cattle and horses, sheep and goats — were bogged 
and drowned in the marshes, and their remains 
preserved to this day. 

The Trent has varied its course within the 
limits of its recent alluvium, not only by bursting 
its banks and making new cross-cuts, but also by 
a slow sideways movement caused by the river 
swinging into the bank on the outer downstream 
parts of its meandering curve. Thus it eats into 
the outer bank and deposits sediment on the inner 
bank, the width of the stream remaining constant. 
In this way the remains of animals, and occasional 
humans, must be accounted for, when found at 
considerable depth in the alluvium. Teeth of the 
mammoth have been discovered at Wilford and 
from Island Street, Nottingham. Antlers of red 
deer at North Clifton, and at the Oven (a spot 
rich in animal remains, near the site of the Roman 
Bridge), Cromwell, where a new lock is now being 
constructed. Roman pottery is also to be found 
here. During the construction of the Great 

H 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Northern Railway Bridge over the Trent near 
South Muskham a female human skull, together 
with bones of ox, horse, red deer, and some pottery, 
was found at a depth of 25 ft. 

The Trent Valley has been visited by many 
disastrous floods. In a.d. 1346 rain fell con- 
tinuously from Midsummer to Christmas, causing 
a fearsome flood. In 1683 the Trent Bridges 
at both Nottingham and Newark collapsed under 
the pressure of water arising from the breaking 
up of a frost accompanied by much snow. In 
November 1770 the waters reached Lincoln 
because the Foss Dyke embankment gave way 
near Torksey. The great flood of February 
1795 was also the consequence of a quick thaw 
after seven weeks of frost, and the whole valley 
of the Trent was a scene of desolation. Coals 
were delivered at South Collingham Churchyard 
from a barge which had navigated the lanes 
between the village and the river. The outer 
river bank near Spalford (Wath Bank) burst at 
the south-east end of Clifton Hill, where the 
signs of the flood are still visible, and the torrent 
stopped only when it reached the High Street at 
Lincoln, which was raised 12 to 15 ft. above 
the surrounding land by the Romans. It 
entered every house in Spalford, with only one 
exception. Girton village street was submerged 
3 ft., and the water rose to a height of 4 ft. 6 in. 
on North Collingham Churchyard wall. Thou- 
sands of acres of hay and corn were under water 
in August 1837; whilst in November 1852, before 
the bank gave way near Dunham, the water rose 
half way up the western wall of North Collingham, 
and Girton village was inundated to a depth of 2 ft. 

14 



CLIMATE 

Girton is almost yearly surrounded by flood 
waters, so that provisions often run short. A 
sudden thaw produced an immense flood in 
January 1867 ; and in 1875 thousands of acres 
were submerged in the Trent Valley, the scene 
from Nottingham Castle being remarkable. 
From Newark Castle, almost as far as the eye 
could see, the fields presented the appearance of a 
vast lake, the tops of hedges and hovels, the rail- 
way and the Great North Road being alone 
visible above the water-line. An adventurous 
four with a coxswain from Newark Magnus 
School rowed across the floods over gate tops, and 
nearly came to grief at Averham Weir. Colling- 
ham, Girton and Low Marnham and other 
places have flood marks registering the height of 
the waters of this last big flood. 



III. Climate 

The climate of the county presents few ex- 
ceptional features which its position would not 
justify. 

1 . Rainfall, — Just as it is intermediate in position 
between Derbyshire and Lincolnshire, so is the 
amount of rain in it intermediate between that 
of these two counties. And in the county itself, 
where the prevalent wind is from the west, the 
proximity of the Derbyshire hills renders the 
rainfall heavier on the west than on the east, so 
that, as we should expect, the rainiest place is 
Mansfield with 29*35 in., during 1908, against 
the 19*25 in. at Stockwith, and 19-29 in. at 
Newark. During 1908 the rainfall at Notting- 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

ham was 22*703 in. Other places whose 
figures are worth noting are : Lowdham 17*48 in. 
(the lowest), Sutton Bonington 2 1 *o6 in., Strelley 
24*51 in., Papplewick 23*36 in., Eastwood 25*14 in. 
It will be noticed that, taking the towns of the 
district between Nottingham and Mansfield, the 
rainfall decreases as we move southwards. 
The average rainfall for Nottingham from 

1 867-1908 inclusive is 24*898 in. 
1867-1886 „ 27*707 in. 

1887-1906 „ 22*160 in. 

Thus the average for the last twenty years is 
5*547 in. below that for the twenty years 
previous to 1887. 

This fact of the decreasing rainfall will be 
better appreciated when we state that the fall 
during 1 887-1906 was 111 in. less than that 
during 1867-1886. 

The heaviest recorded rainfall during twenty- 
four hours fell on 24th August 1903, 2*357 in. 

The average of days in which more than 1 in. 
of rain falls during twenty-four hours is less than 
1 per annum. 

The wettest year was 1872, when 35*903 in. 
fell. 

The driest year was 1887, w T hen 15*643 in. 
fell. 

2. Temperature. — It has been stated frequently 
that Nottingham experiences extremes both of 
heat and cold. Figures do not bear out this 
statement which, we believe, applies with greater 
truth to Loughborough in Leicestershire. 

In Nottingham the highest temperature in the 
shade recorded during the last forty-two years is 

16 



FLORA AND FAUNA 

97*3 in June 1868, 1 followed by 94*3 on 23rd July 
of the same year, and 94*2 on 2nd September 
1906, while the lowest is -3*9 on the grass 
on 7th December 1879, though on Christmas 
Day i860 we are informed that -8 was registered 
4 ft. from the ground and -13*2 on the grass. 
1908, however, may be taken as an average year, 
with a highest of 84*0 in the shade, a lowest of 
7*4 and a mean temperature of 48*5. 

3. Sunshine. — Little can be said on this point 
except to notice that in 1908 there were 1342 
hours of sunshine, or 3 1 per cent, of the number 
possible. 

IV. Flora and Fauna 

Botany — The following notes will mention only 
a few of the most interesting plants which are 
found in this county ; readers wishing for fuller 
information will find much valuable matter in 
Professor J. W. Carr's excellent article in vol. i. 
of " The Victoria History of the County of 
Nottinghamshire." To Professor Carr I here 
tender my grateful thanks for the personal 
assistance which he has given me in the compila- 
tion of these notes. 

Considered geographically and geologically the 
county has less to recommend it to the botanist 
than have the surrounding counties. An inland 
county, and for the most part below 600 ft. above 
sea-level, it possesses no marshes nor natural lakes 
of any size ; almost the whole of its area is under 
cultivation, with the exception of parts of Sherwood 
Forest, which, however, are situated on the 

1 No official confirmation of this reading is obtainable. 

B 17 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Bunter Sandstone and can, in consequence, produce 
only a scanty flora. The one compensation which 
we have is the presence, in the west of the county, 
of the Permian Magnesian Limestone, but even 
this has suffered botanically from coal-mining and 
building operations. Taking all these unfavour- 
able circumstances into consideration, we cannot 
be surprised to find that cut of the 1300 inland 
and non-Alpine plants growing in Great Britain, 
Notts, possesses only 860, and even this number 
seems likely to be reduced by the extension of 
towns and by various other destructive processes. 

Perhaps the most interesting plant is the 
Nottingham Catchfly (Silene nutans), which was 
first found growing on Nottingham Castle Rock ; 
a few roots still survive and will, we hope, be care- 
fully guarded. Some few years ago the Nottingham 
Meadows were carpeted every spring and autumn 
with the two crocuses (C vernus and C. nudiflorus) ; 
now, however, these beautiful plants have become 
comparatively rare. Similarly the wild tulip (Tulipa 
sylvestris) is only to be found now in one spot. 

Other interesting plants, grouped geologically, 
are : 

1. Coal Measures and Permian Rocks (on the 
western side of the county). — In the Mansfield and 
Warsop district may be found : Aquilegia vulgaris 
(Columbine), Parnassia palustris, Inula conyza, 
Crepis paludosa, Anagallis tenella, Carex distans, 
and Carex fulva. Near Warsop we find the 
Mentha piperita (Peppermint), Orchis pyramid- 
alis and Habenaria conopsea. Perhaps the most 
interesting find in this district has been the 
Silinum carvifolia which was discovered growing 
near Mansfield in 1908, this being only the third 

18 



FLORA AND FAUNA 

station in Britain in which this rare plant has 
been found. Other plants to be noticed are : Arabis 
hirsuta, Campanula Trachelium near Pleasley, 
Pinguicula vulgaris near Mansfield, Ophrys musci- 
fera (Fly orchid) at Newstead, Polygonatum 
multiflorum (Solomon's Seal), Gagea lutea at 
Nuttall and Pleasley, and Schoenus nigricans near 
Mansfield. 

2. Bunter Sandstone. — Arabis perfoliata (Tower 
Mustard), Teesdalia nudicaulis at Blidworth and 
elsewhere, Viola palustris at Linby and elsewhere, 
Ulex Gallii on Bulwell Forest and Ulex minor 
in Sherwood Forest, Callitriche truncata near 
Misterton (this is a very remarkable find, as 
hitherto this plant has not been found in England 
farther north than Kent), Arnoseris pusilla near 
Everton — a very northerly station for this plant — 
Vaccinium Vitis-idaea, Empetrum nigrum, Mono- 
tropa Hypopithys in Sherwood Forest, Mentha 
alopecuroides near Edwinstowe, Echium vulgare 
on the Barrow Hills, Potamogeton falcatus — only 
previously found in Cambs. and Hunts — Potamo- 
geton praelongus, Lastrea cristata, and Scirpus 
maritimus at Misson. 

3. Keuper Deposits (Trent Valley). — Ranunculus 
parviflorus, Dipsacus pilosus (small Teasel), Paris 
Quadrifolium, Campanula patula in Wellow Park, 
Myosotis sylvatica, Carex palescens, and the 
following close to the river Trent : — Thalictrum 
flavum, Nasturtium sylvestre, Stellaria aquatica, 
Lythrum Salicaria, Hottonia palustris. It has 
been said that the value of celery as a vegetable 
was first recognised by some French soldiers resident 
at Nottingham, who cultivated the wild plant. It 
seems much more probable, however, that these 

19 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Frenchmen introduced the seed into this district, 
and that the wild specimens that have been found 
are escapes from this seed. 

The rare Melampyrum cristatum has been found 
near Retford. 

4. Lias Beds. — Senecio erucifolius, Cnicus erio- 
phorus, Lotus tenuis, Linaria spuria, Caucalis 
arvensis, Galium tricorne, Galeopsis Ladanum, 
Specularia hybrida on the West Leake Hills. 
Until recently the Royal Fern [Osmunda Regalis) 
was to be found, but it has now unfortunately 
disappeared. Liquorice was once cultivated near 
Worksop, Woad at Scrooby, and Hops near 
Southwell. 

Birds. — A very able and comprehensive article 
on this subject by Mr J. Whitaker, F.Z.S., will be 
found in vol. i. of the "Victoria County History 
of Notts.," and anyone desiring the fullest informa- 
tion can do no better than refer to it. We wish 
to express our indebtedness to Mr Whitaker's 
article for the information here given. 

The same disadvantages — lack of sea-coast and 
mountains — which we have already referred to in 
our notes on the botany of the county, are to a 
somewhat less extent noticeable when we come to 
consider the birds. The varied nature of the 
country and the careful observations of such 
gentlemen as Mr Whitaker have resulted in the 
compilation of a list of birds which compares 
favourably with that of any other inland county. 
Some 250 species have been recorded and of these 
155 have been seen at Rainworth Lodge (Mr 
Whitaker's residence). The low-lying land drained 
by dykes in the north, the woodland, and carefully 
preserved estates of the middle, and the open grass- 

20 



DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION 

land of the south, and above all the Trent, which 
provides such an excellent entry for sea birds, can 
show a varied list from which we can but mention 
a few of the most interesting species. 

While omitting those birds whose rare appear- 
ances prevent us from including them in such a 
list as this and those which are common property 
of every shire, we would mention the following as 
of some scarcity and interest : — ring ouzel, stone- 
chat, redstart, goldcrest, and the much rarer 
iirecrest, chiifchafF, wood warbler, reed warbler, 
tree creeper, grey wagtail, red-backed shrike, sand 
martin, hawfinch, lesser redpoll, bullfinch, corn 
bunting, reed bunting, magpie, jackdaw, swift, 
nightjar, green woodpecker, kingfisher, barn owl, 
long-eared owl, kestrel, stock dove, turtle dove and 
common snipe. A large number of water birds — 
species of geese, ducks and swans — -might be added. 
It is very pleasing to be able to note that such a 
bird as the great crested grebe is on the increase, 
w T hile the nightingale is not so rare as it is gener- 
ally supposed to be. 



V. Distribution of Population — Town and 
Country 

The large area occupied by Sherwood Forest in 
the Middle Ages would tend to keep the popula- 
tion of the county at a very low figure. No 
statistics remain. In 1801 we find that there were 
142,820 inhabitants, divided as follows : — Notting- 
ham, 28,861, Bassetlaw Hundred, 31,433, Bingham 
Hundred, 9055, Broxtow Hundred, 34,847, 
Newark Hundred, 12,505, RushclifFe Hundred, 

21 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

8163, and Thurgarton Hundred, 1 7?9S 3- By 
1 83 1 the total estimate for the county was 
226,440, of which Nottingham claimed 50,727, 
and the Broxtow Hundred (which includes the 
colliery district of the Leen Valley) 65,299, 

In 1 87 1 the population of the town of Notting- 
ham was 86,621, but in 1877 the Extension Act 
added 7960 acres and nearly 100,000 inhabitants, 
so that in 1881 we find that there are 186,700 
inhabitants. The census of 1901 gives the figures 
as 239,753, and in 1908 the estimated population 
was 260,449. For the county, we know that in 
1 88 1 the population was 391,985, and in 1901, 
514,469, so that by now (1909) it is fair to pre- 
sume that it is approaching 600,000. It will thus 
be seen that half the inhabitants of the county 
dwell in Nottingham itself, while the only district 
where there has been any large increase is the 
colliery district between Mansfield and the 
Trent. The following striking facts may be 
mentioned : — 

( 1 ) Apart from Nottingham there is only one 
town, Mansfield, with over 20,000, inhabitants. 
There are ten others with over 10,000 : Sutton 
in Ashfield, Worksop, Hucknall Torkard, Newark, 
Kirkby, Carlton, Retford, Beeston, West Bridgford 
and Arnold. 

(2) In the rural districts the figures show that 
except where the well-to-do classes have begun to 
build houses, or where a manufacturing industry 
of some kind has been established, the population 
is stationary or on the decrease. At Lowdham, 
Ratclifre-on-Trent, Ruddington, Trowell, and a 
few other places, a considerable increase is notice- 
able. At Tollerton, Tythby, Kingston-on-Soar, 



COMMUNICATIONS 

Hockerton, Gonalston and Scarrington the popula- 
tion has been almost stationary for the last fifty 
years. But at Thurgarton, Upton, Willoughby- 
on-the-Wolds, Woodborough, Wysall, Keyworth, 
Kneeton, East Leake, Flintham, Norwell, 
Besthorpe, and many others, there has been a 
steady decrease. 

VI. Communications 

Roads. — It is extremely difficult to speak with 
any certainty of the course taken by the earliest 
roads of this county. Numerous tracks traversed 
the land in all directions, but it is only here and 
there that any trace of them can now be identified. 
In consideration of this uncertainty and of the 
small space at our disposal our purpose will be best 
served by mentioning only those old roads about 
which there can be no doubt. The Fosse Way 
traverses the county from Six Hills in the south to 
Potter's Hill, near Collingham on the east, but, 
from its southern entrance to the point where it 
crosses the Nottingham to Melton Mowbray high- 
way, it is often little more than a stoney cart track. 
Another undoubtedly Roman road is that which 
cuts across the county on its way from Lincoln to 
Doncaster, entering at Littleborough and leaving 
the county at Bawtry. The road from Nottingham 
to Mansfield and Worksop, and so out of the 
county to Tickhill, is of undoubted, though undat- 
able, antiquity. The Great North Road, which 
has a history second to none of the great roads of 
England, enters Notts, a little to the south of 
Newark and passing through Tuxford and Retford, 
reaches Yorkshire at Bawtry. 

2 3 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

To-day Notts, roads are well spoken of, and 
deservedly so, for they are, taking them all round, 
very excellent. But this was not always the case, 
especially in the clayey districts of the north. In 
1640 we read that " about Tuxford is the most 
absolutely vile road in the world," and at a later 
date we find that the usual rate of progress on 
horseback in this district was 2 m. an hour. 

A careful and scientific research into the courses 
of the early roads in this county would be of 
inestimable value to local historians, and much that 
is now obscure would have a light thrown upon it 
were such a study undertaken. 

Railways. — The first railway in Notts., known as 
the " Midland Counties Railway," was opened 
between Nottingham and Derby in 1839. At the 
present time the county is admirably served by the 
Midland, Great Northern, and Great Central 
Companies, while the London and North Western 
Company have a line from Nottingham to Melton 
Mowbray and thence, by Northampton, to Euston. 
The Dukeries district has been opened up by the 
Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway, 
now taken over by the Great Central Railway 
Company. Few, if any, great provincial towns 
are better served in the matter of railway 
facilities than is Nottingham, whence London 
may be reached by a frequent service in a very 
few minutes over the two hours. Its central 
position and exceptional railway facilities cause 
Nottingham to be selected frequently for con- 
gresses, conferences and other important functions. 

Rivers. — Nottinghamshire owes the most charm- 
ing features of its scenery to its rivers, of which 
the Trent stands out pre-eminent. The fourth 

24 



COMMUNICATIONS 

longest river in England, the Trent rises in 
Staffordshire and enters Notts, near Barton-in- 
Fabis, thence it soon reaches the steeply wooded 
slopes of Clifton Grove and, sweeping past 
Wilford Church, it makes a large curve between 
the Wilford and Trent Bridges at Nottingham. 
For some miles beyond Nottingham its course 
lies, for the most part, between meadows until 
Radcliffe is reached, where, at the foot of a 
red cliff, the river takes a northerly turn to- 
wards Burton Joyce. Again rich meadows are 
on either side, but not for long, for at East 
Bridgford it washes the foot of those hills 
which overhang its right bank as far as 
East Stoke. Just before reaching Averham the 
river branches — one, the larger but younger 
stream, passes by Averham and Kelham, while 
the smaller and older stream washes the base of 
Newark Castle and, passing on, rejoins the 
larger branch. Just before this smaller stream 
has reached Newark it is joined by the Devon 
(pron. Dee-von), and it is often supposed, though 
incorrectly, that Newark is situated on the 
Devon. Observations have led geologists to be- 
lieve that in prehistoric times the Trent left its 
present line of flow near Newark and, cutting 
across Lincolnshire, joined the sea by the present 
lower course of the Witham. (See Physical 
Features.) From Newark the Trent travels in a 
winding course due north. Just between North 
Clifton and Dunham it becomes the boundary of 
Notts, and Lincolnshire, and continues to act as 
such until it passes wholly into the latter county, 
at West Stockwith. 

The Trent is tidal as far as Littleborough, and 

25 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

at the time of the spring tides a curious pheno- 
menon is very noticeable in these lower reaches of 
the river. The incoming tide, confined between 
the narrow banks, forms a wave sometimes 5 or 
6 ft. high, which rushes up the river as a per- 
pendicular wall of water — a great source of 
danger to unwary boatmen. It is known by the 
name of Eagre (identified by Carlyle with the 
Norse Spirit of the flood). 

From the earliest times the Trent has been 
ever prone to change its course, and we have many 
records of such changes, an interesting feature in 
this river's history, which has been somewhat 
neglected by its historians. 

In the county of Notts, the Trent is bridged 
by the Wilford and Trent Bridges at Nottingham, 
by Gunthorpe Bridge, by Newark, Muskham and 
Kelham Bridges, and yet again by bridges at 
Dunham and Gainsborough. 

Canals. — Besides its rivers Notts, is served with 
a system of canals of which the chief are the 
Grantham Canal connecting Nottingham with 
Grantham, the Cromford and Erewash Canal 
linking Notts, and Derbyshire, and the Chester- 
field Canal in the north of the county, serving 
Worksop and Retford and joining the Trent at 
West Stockwith. 

VII. Industries 

Throughout its long history Nottingham has 
been a commercial town ; a multitude of industries 
have been practised within its walls, but curiously 
enough we cannot point to any one trade which 
has occupied a pre-eminent position throughout 

26 




mr 



INDUSTRIES 

a very long period. The coal trade and agri- 
culture are the only two industries which are 
not centred in Nottingham, so that unless it is 
expressly stated to the contrary it must be under- 
stood that we are dealing with the industries of 
the county town. 

Malting was the earliest industry practised in 
Nottingham, how early we do not know, but 
even in Saxon times we are led to believe that 
Nottingham ale had won some notoriety. 
Nottingham ale is still well known, and there 
are also considerable breweries at Newark and 
Kimberley. If we seek a reason for the excellence 
of the local brew we shall doubtless find it in the 
proximity to the water supply of gypsum beds. 
Nottingham supplied the Midlands, and even the 
north of England, with ale brewed from the 
barley grown in the Vale of Belvoir. 

Cloth must have been made at Nottingham 
soon after the Norman Conquest, for in the reign 
of Henry II. there was a Guild of Weavers 
here, who, in 1 1 99, received a charter designed 
to encourage the manufacture of dyed woollen 
cloth. Throughout the 14th cent, the chief 
citizens of Nottingham were Merchants of the 
Staple, and such an exalted place did Nottingham 
hold in this trade that in 1343 the price of 
Nottingham wool was taken as the standard price 
for all England — a privilege the town lost a couple 
of years later. The loss of Calais caused a decline 
of the wool trade here which led eventually to its 
disappearance. 

Iron working was rendered easy by the presence 
of all the necessities in the immediate neighbour- 
hood, and Nottingham smiths appear to have 

27 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

come to the front about the time when the cloth 
trade declined. The fame of 

"The little Smith of Nottingham, 
Who doth the work that no man can," 

bears testimony to the excellence of the workman- 
ship. The memory of the manufacture of harness 
and all kinds of agricultural implements remains 
for us in the names of three Nottingham streets : 
Smithy Row, Bridlesmith Gate, and Gridlesmith 
Gate (now Pelham Street). After a decadence 
about the middle of the 18th cent, a revival of the 
iron trade came with the introduction of machinery 
into the lace and hosiery trades, and nowadays 
Nottingham makes all the machinery she needs for 
these two trades. 

One other trade connected with metal working 
must not be forgotten. During the 16th, 17th 
and 1 8th cents., Nottingham bellfounders had a 
wide reputation, and the marks of such makers as 
Mellors, Oldfield and Hedderley will be found 
on many bells to-day. The Norwich bell trade 
would seem to owe its origin to a Nottingham 
man, one William de Nottingham, who leaving 
his native town went to Norwich, and there con- 
tinuing his trade was admitted in 1376 to the 
freedom of the city. 

Cotton. — In the cotton trade Nottingham 
certainly holds a unique position, for from within 
its borders every important invention in this 
industry would seem to have emanated, a state- 
ment the more readily believed when we find 
such men as Paul, James, Foster, Hargreaves, 
Hayes, Cartledge, Arkwright and his persistent 
partner, Coniah Wood, were all connected with 

28 



INDUSTRIES 

the industry in Nottingham. Hosiery and lace 
form the staple industries of Nottingham at the 
present time, and we can trace their history 
back to the invention, in 1589, of the stocking 
frame by the Rev. William Lee, curate of 
Calverton. The reason why he turned his mind 
to such matters makes too good a story to be 
forgotten. William Lee paid his addresses to a 
maiden who appears to have been somewhat of a 
shrew and quite indifferent to his attentions. To 
show her indifference to her lover's visits she used 
to pass the time in knitting, and this so exasperated 
Mr Lee that he gave up everything in order to 
invent some machine which would prevent cold- 
hearted maidens from emphasising the state of their 
affections by the click of their knitting needles. 
Lee did not receive much encouragement from 
Queen Elizabeth, and he left England to better 
his fortunes in France, where he died in 1610. 
His brother James, however, returned to Notts., 
and from that day onwards invention has followed 
invention, and carried the lace and hosiery trades 
to their present state of excellence ; and just as in 
the cotton trade, so in these trades Nottingham 
has been the home of many of the most important 
inventions. Before the building of the huge 
factories the trade was carried on in the villages 
round Nottingham as well as in the town itself, 
and in 18 12 Blackner enumerates as many as 
30,000 frames. The years 1811-1816 witnessed 
the smashing of many lace machines by the rioters, 
called Luddites, after a half-witted youth Ned 
Ludd. It is impossible to enter here into the 
intricate history of the lace trade and its inventions 
during the last century, but suffice it to say that 

29 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Nottingham lace is famous all the world over. 
The Coal Trade is so important an item in the 
industrial history of the county that we must 
regret the uncertainty which exists as to its early 
working within our borders. The earliest record 
which we possess of coal being worked at all in 
this kingdom is a grant to the monks of Newcastle 
between the years 1210 and 12 19. This coal was 
carried by sea from Newcastle, whence it came to 
be known as Carbo maritimus or sea coal. Char- 
coal (Carbo) was extensively manufactured in 
Sherwood Forest, and it does not seem improbable 
that when coal was first dug in Notts., it was called 
Carbo maritimus to distinguish it from charcoal. 
At anyrate, in 1257 Henry III.'s queen was 
compelled to leave the Castle at Nottingham on 
account of the objectionable nature of the smoke 
from the sea coal. In 1 348 mention is made of 
a mine at Cossall, where the coal comes quite to 
the surface ; and in 1483 "pytte coles" were 
obtained from Selston. The Wollaton pit is heard 
of in 1549, and during the years 1 580-1 588 coal 
from this pit was exchanged for stone from 
Ancaster, which was used in the building of 
Wollaton Hall. Yet coal does not appear to have 
come into common use until the latter half of the 
1 6th cent., though for a long time it had been 
steadily gaining ground because of its cheapness 
when compared with wood. Nottingham was 
particularly favoured as compared with London, for 
in 1745 we read that, whereas Londoners had to 
pay £1, 3s. per ton plus carriage for their Newcastle 
coal, the people of Nottingham obtained their coal 
for 1 os. a ton. The coal trade too has influenced 
the means of transit in the county, for in 18 19 the 

30 



HISTORY 

first railroad (worked by horses) was opened to 
connect Mansfield and Pinxton with the Cromford 
Canal, while the first canal in the county brought 
the coal of the Ereswash Valley to Nottingham. 

Several trades which have little or no history 
remain to be mentioned. Until recently the 
Humber Cycle Company had large works at 
Beeston, and there are now such well-known 
makers of cycles as the Raleigh Company, besides 
many firms of local fame. 

In the tobacco trade the name of Player has 
a world-wide renown, while cardboard boxes and 
blouses are very extensively made in Nottingham. 



VIII. History 

We have dealt elsewhere with the history of 
the town of Nottingham which provides the chief 
part of the history of the county, and in conse- 
quence it will not be necessary here to give more 
than a short and general sketch of events. 

The Romans left very few traces of themselves 
in the county, and we can readily believe that the 
Trent Valley was of so marshy a nature and Sher- 
wood Forest of so impenetrable a thickness that exten- 
sive and domestic settlements would be impossible. 

The early days of the Saxon Conquest are hidden 
from our sight, but at first the area now known as 
Nottinghamshire was included within the kingdoms 
of Northumbria, Mercia and Lindsey. Later on 
Mercia extended its bounds and included all the 
county. It is only when the frequently recurring 
quarrels with the Danes begin that we obtain any 
reliable material. 

3* 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Nottinghamshire took no strenuous part in the 
struggle against William the Norman, and therefore 
suffered less severely than some other counties. In 
Domesday Book we find the county divided for 
the first time into wapentakes or hundreds, of 
which there were eight — namely, Bassetlaw, 
Broxtow, Bingham, Thurgarton, Newark, Rush- 
cliffe, Oswardebec (now practically the North 
Clay division of Bassetlaw) and Lide (the north 
part of Thurgarton Hundred). These divisions 
remained until about 1719, when we find that the 
two latter have been absorbed into the Hundreds 
of Bassetlaw and Thurgarton respectively. Nott- 
inghamshire was strongly in favour of Stephen, 
and in consequence suffered severely at the hands 
of Henry II. The county town seems to have 
shared with Hereford the doubtful honour of 
welcoming King John when he made things too 
hot for himself elsewhere. 

With the rest of England, Nottinghamshire felt 
the stern judicial hand of Edward I., and took its 
share in the French and Scots wars. During the 
Wars of the Roses the county was strongly Yorkist, 
and Nottingham Castle was the residence of 
Richard III. when he heard that Henry Tudor 
had landed in Wales and was marching on Shrews- 
bury, and it was from Nottingham that this last 
of the Yorkist kings set out to meet his death at 
Bosworth Field. 

The heavy hand of Henry VII. dissatisfied the 
Yorkists, who provided themselves with a catspaw 
in Lambert Simnel, who was defeated in 1489 at 
the battle of East Stoke, a little village a few miles 
south of Newark. 

The Pilgrimage of Grace, in 1536, did not 

3 2 



ANTIQUITIES 

extend farther south than this county, but at 
Lenton the prior and his monks suffered for 
their sympathy with the movement. 

The great period in the pageant of Not- 
tinghamshire history is that of the Civil War, 
which, briefly, may be divided into three 
scenes : first we have the raising of the stand- 
and at Nottingham in 1642, then a long 
series of skirmishes between the Parliamentarians 
represented by the Nottingham garrison led by 
Colonel Hutchinson, and the Royalists repre- 
sented by the garrison of Newark, and finally 
the surrender of King Charles to the Scots at 
Kelham. 

The troubles of 171 5 and 1745 proved that 
there were still men in this county who would 
welcome back the Stuarts, but they were incon- 
siderable in numbers. 

Since this date Nottinghamshire has taken 
little or no share in the political history of 
England, though it has played a large part in the 
industrial development of the kingdom. 

IX. Antiquities 

1. Prehistoric and Pre-Roman. — By far the 
earliest record of human life within these borders 
is to be found among the deposits in the Church 
Hole Cave, Cresswell Crags. These crags form 
the sides of a ravine on the borders of Notts, and 
Derbyshire. The scientific exploration of the 
Church Hole Cave and the caves on the Derby- 
shire side was carried out in 1 875-1 877, and 
extensive remains of man of the Paleolithic Age 
were discovered. Numerous isolated finds of 

c 33 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Neolithic implements have been made, notably at 
Gunthorpe, Averham, Car Colston, Carlton, and 
Nottingham, while those at Wollaton, Beeston, 
and Thrumpton point to a time when the use 
of bronze was superseding that of stone. The 
Hemlock Stone, near Bramcote, and the " Druidi- 
cal Stones," near Blidworth, are supposed to have 
been put to a religious use during the Stone Age. 
There is, however, nothing but tradition to 
support this theory. Like its predecessors the 
Bronze Age is represented by a number of 
isolated finds, of which those at Colwick and 
Gringley deserve special mention. In i860 a 
hoard of bronze objects was dug up in Great 
Freeman Street, Nottingham. 

It is extremely difficult to speak with any 
certainty upon the subject of pre-Roman earth- 
works. As race followed race each one was 
ready enough to adapt the fortresses of his 
predecessors to his own use. The two promon- 
tory fortresses, Combs Farm Camp, near Farns- 
field and Castle Hill, Worksop, are almost cer- 
tainly pre-Roman in origin, and to the same 
uncertain period we may assign the hill fortresses 
of Castle Hill Retford (later used by the Romans), 
Hill Close Camp Farnsfield, Fox Wood Wood- 
borough, St Mary's Hill Nottingham, and the 
rectangular camp at Cockpit Hill Arnold (which 
may owe its shape to a later occupation). Of 
the numerous sandstone caves in or near Notting- 
ham it is necessary to speak with extreme caution. 
It was the custom during the Middle Ages to 
use these caves for residential purposes. Many, 
however, are nothing more nor less than sand- 
pits. 

34 



ANTIQUITIES 

2. Roman. — It is to the disgrace of the antiquaries 
of the county that so little has been done to lay 
bare the history of Notts, during the Roman 
occupation. Of the five. Roman stations (four 
on the Fosse Way) only one (Crocolana) has 
been excavated. The stations are Vernometum 
(near Willoughby-on-the- Wolds), Margidunum, 
between East Bridgford, and Car Colston, Ad 
Pontem (unknown), and Crocolana (Brough), all 
on the Fosse Way, and Segelocum (Littleborough), 
at the point where Till Bridge Lane crosses the 
Trent on its way from Lincoln to Doncaster. 

There was a bridge across the Trent near 
Collingham leading to the interior of the county, 
probably to Mansfield, for near there a Roman 
villa has been found, and passing through 
Caunton, where numerous traces of an early 
settlement have been discovered. A tesselated 
pavement was found at Barton-in-Fabis in 1856, 
and a portion of it may still be seen. Many 
other isolated finds have been recorded, but the 
study of Roman Notts, is still in its infancy. 

3. Churches. — Taking them altogether, these 
compare very favourably with the churches 
of most counties. Many have disappeared, and 
some are ruinous. Large churches are few in 
number but good in quality : Southwell, Newark, 
St Mary's, Nottingham, Blyth, East Retford, 
and Worksop exhaust the list. 

In the south of the county the frequency with 
which churches occur points to a time when the 
district was much more populous than it is now. 
The decrease in population is evidenced all over 
the county, for churches which have become 
smaller are not at all uncommon. 

35 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Saxon Work is very rare, and indeed it is doubt- 
ful whether, with the exception of the foundations 
of a Saxon church at East Bridgford, there is any- 
building about which all authorities are un- 
animously agreed in assigning a date previous to 
the Norman Conquest. Professor Baldwin Brown 
considers that there is late Saxon work in the 
church tower at Carlton-in-Lindrick. In 1906 
some work, certainly Saxon, was uncovered in 
the tower of Plumtree church. The Rev. Dr 
J. C. Cox considers that there is much Saxon work 
of late date in the north walls of East Leake and 
Farndon churches, and probably also at Wysall, 
while some of the work in Oxton is believed by 
this authority to be of similar date. 

There are several pre-Norman stones in the 
county — e.g. the fine cross at Stapleford, the 
stones at Shelford, Shelton, Hawksworth, Rolles- 
ton, Kneesall, East Bridgford, Costock, Hickling 
and Bilsthorpe. 

Norman. — There is a comparatively large amount 
of " herring-bone " masonry, and curiously enough 
this is frequently found in churches adjacent to the 
Trent, notably at Littleborough, Averham, Lane- 
ham, and several others. The best example of 
early Norman work will be found at Blyth ; of early 
I2th-cent. work at Southwell, and of late Norman 
work at South Collingham, South Scarle and 
Everton. The work at Oxton has already been 
mentioned in the previous section, though person- 
ally we are of opinion that the work is of post- 
Conquest date. Littleborough and Sookholme 
are good examples of small Norman churches. 
Other work of this period will be found at Wink- 
burn, Plumtree, Balderton, Elston, Thoroton, 

36 



ANTIQUITIES 

Colston Basset (old church), Cottam, Finningley, 
Selston and Haughton Chapel. 

Transitional Norman is not common in large 
quantities except at Worksop, where everything 
that remains of the parish church, except the Lady 
Chapel, is of this period. Sturton nave has been 
reconstructed exactly as it was previous to the fire. 
Other examples will be found at Attenborough, 
Shelton, Hay ton and South Leverton. 

Early English. — Many naves are of the 13th 
cent. The best work of the period is at Southwell 
choir, Normanton-on-Soar, Shelton, South Lever- 
ton, North and South Collingham, Rolleston, 
Misterton, RadclifFe-on-Soar ,Hawton, Langar and 
Orston. 

Decorated. — This style is the glory of the county, 
and the series of fine chancels at Hawton, Wood- 
borough, Sibthorpe, Arnold, Car Colston, Barnby- 
in-the-Willows, and the chapter-house at South- 
well, and the south aisle at Newark, with the 
Easter sepulchres at Hawton, Sibthorpe and 
Arnold could challenge comparison with the work 
of the same period in any other county. Then, 
too, the square-headed window was used so largely 
that it has become, perhaps, the most characteristic 
feature of the architecture of the county. Good 
examples will be seen at West Bridgford, Keyworth, 
Screveton, Syerston, East Stoke, Thorpe, and 
indeed in most of our village churches. The 
windows of Orston aisles, Norwell, Scarrington, 
Wysall and Barnby-in-the- Willows are good. 
Two good early Decorated spires can be seen at 
Bingham and Burton Joyce. 

Perpendicular. — Evidence of this style is apparent 
in most of the towers of the village churches, 

37 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

notably at Rolleston, East Markham, Car Colston 
and Sturton. Three good spires will be found at 
Gedling, Scrooby and West Retford. The three 
large churches of St Mary at Nottingham, East 
Retford and Newark belong to this style. 

Screens. — Stone screens at Blyth and Southwell. 

Wooden screens at Balderton, Bingham (base), 
Blyth (with painted figures), West Bridgford, Bunny, 
Burton Joyce, Halloughton, Hawton, Holme, 
Lambley, Langar, East Leake, Maplebeck, East 
Markham, North Muskham, Newark, Nuttall 
(originally parclose), Ordsall, Plumtree, South 
Scarle, Staunton, Strelley, Sutton-on-Trent, Walker- 
ingham, Winkburn, Woodborough, Wysall (with 
" squints "). 

Misericords at Southwell, Newark, Thurgarton, 
Sneinton, Wysall, Strelley, Screveton, North Col- 
lingham. 

Old Pulpits. — Blidworth, Eakring, Elton, Granby 
(1627), Headon, Kirklington, Langar, Laneham 
(inscribed), Owthorpe, Strelley, Syerston, North 
Wheatley (1604, inscribed), Winkburn, Wysall 
( pre-Reformation ) . 

Altar Tables of the 17th cent, or earlier at 
Egmanton (1683), Halam, Kilvington, Kneesall, 
Lambley (161 9, inscribed), Oxton, Staunton, 
Teversal, Woodborough (inscribed). 

Old Glass. — Annesley, Cossall, Cromwell, Crop- 
well Bishop, Egmanton, Fledborough (good), 
Gonalston, Halam, Hickling, Kirklington, Lambley, 
Linby, Mansfield Woodhouse, South Muskham, 
Newark, Papplewick (good), Southwell, East Stoke, 
Strelley, Sutton-on-Trent, Warsop. 

Effigies. — Notts, is famous for its alabaster effigies. 
The best are to be found at Averham, Barton-in- 

38 



ANTIQUITIES 

Fabis, Bingham, Clifton, Colwick, Holme Pierre- 
pont, Langar, Laxton, West Leake, Nuttall, 
RadclifFe-on-Soar, Staunton, Strelley, Whatton, 
Wollaton. 

'Brasses are rare. The only ones are at Newark, 
Ossington, Hickling, Stanford-on-Soar, North 
Wheatley, Annesley (in private possession), Darlton, 
East Markham. 

Fonts — Norman. — Annesley, Beckingham, Bils- 
thorpe, Bingham (in porch), Calverton (fragment), 
Carburton, Car Colston, Egmanton, Epperstone, 
Everton (in vicar's garden), Finningley, Flaw- 
borough, Gonalston, Halam, Keyworth, Kirkling- 
ton,Lenton (very good), South Leverton, Markham 
Clinton (good), Rampton, Screveton (good), 
Selston, Sookholme, Stanton-on-the- Wolds, Sutton- 
in- Ashfield (fragment), Teversal, Thoroton, Wellow, 
North Wheatley (very large) , Woodborough. 

Early English. — Beeston, Bramcote (good), 
Edwalton, Elton, Farndon, Farnsfield (outside), 
Hoveringham, Kneeton, East Leake, Misterton, 
Wysall. 

Decorated. — Attenborough, Balderton (good), 
Barton -in -Fabis, Bothamsall, Cropwell Bishop, 
Gotham, Laxton, Lowdham (good), Normanton- 
on-Soar, Radcliffe-on-Soar, Stapleford, Strelley, 
Sutton Bonington St Michael (good). 

Perpendicular. — Cossall, Edwinstowe, Flintham, 
Granby Grove, Hickling, Holme Pierrepont, 
Owthorpe, Trowell, Wollaton. 

There are a large number of fonts placed in 
the churches during the years succeeding 1661. 
The best is at Orston. They are generally dated. 

There is a good font-cover at Tuxford. 

Benches and Bench Ends. — Attenborough (good 

39 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

I7th-cent.), Balderton (good I5th-cent.), Barnby- 
in- the- Willows (good I5th-cent.), Bilsthorpe, 
Coddington, Costock (i 5th-cent.), Cropwell 
Bishop (1400), Edwalton, Elton, Granby (15th- 
cent.), Hickling (1400), Hockerton, Holme, Knee- 
sail (i5th-cent.), East Leake (i5th-cent. and 
Jacobean), North Muskham, Newark, South 
Scarle, Scrooby (iyth-cent.), Sutton-cum-Lound, 
Sutton-on-Trent, Teversal (fine I7th-cent. pew), 
Walkeringham, North Wheatley, Wysall. 



4. Abbeys 


and other Ecclesiastical Remains 


Place 


Order 


Remains 


Blyth 


Benedictine Monks Nave of church 






remains. 


Wallingwells 


Benedictine Nuns 


Nothing left. 


Lenton 


Cluniacs 


Very scanty re- 
mains. 


Rufford (Abbey) 
Beauvale 


Cistercians 
Carthusians 


Scanty remains. 
Scanty ruins. 


Felley 


Augustinians 


Very scanty re- 
mains. 


Newstead 


>> 


Plentiful remains ; 


Shelford 


>> 


very interesting. 
Nothing left. 


Thurgarton 


jj 


Part of church 
left. 


Worksop 


9t 


Nave of church, 
Lady Chapel (in 
ruins), and fine 


Welbeck (Abbey) 


Premonstratensian 
Canons 


gatehouse. 
Nothing left. 


Broadholme 


Premonstratensian 
Nuns 


Nothing left. 


Mattersey 


Gilbertines 


Very little above 
ground ; wants 


Southwell 


College (Secular) 


excavating. 
Church remains 
entire. 



40 



J- 




■ : 



ANTIQUITIES 

Other religious foundations in the county were : 

Knights Hospitallers at Ossington and Winkburn. 
Franciscan Friars, Nottingham (c. 1230. Grey 

Friar Gate). 
Carmelite Friars, Nottingham (1276. Friar Lane). 
Observant Friars, Newark (founded by Henry 

VII., 1499)- 

Colleges (besides Southwell) at : 

Clifton (founded by Sir Robert Clifton, 1476). 

Newark. 

Ruddington (founded by William Babington, 1459). 

Sibthorpe (1324). 

Tuxford (founded by John de Lungvillers, 1362). 

Hospitals at : 

Bawtry : St Mary Magdalene (1280). 

Blyth: St Edmund (1228). 

St John the Evangelist (1226). 

Bradebusk : St Mary Magdalene (1252). 

Lenton : St Anthony (within the priory). 

Newark: St Leonard (n 25. Still exists as 
six almshouses in Northgate). 

Nottingham : Holy Sepulchre (1267). 

St John the Baptist (1202, on the 
north side of the town. The 
brethren had to keep the Trent 
Bridge in repair. In 1551 the 
property of the hospital was given 
by Edward VI. to the mayor and 
burgesses for the upkeep of the 
bridge. In 1601 the old hospital 

4i 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Nottingham — continued 

buildings were turned into a poor- 
house, and somewhat later into a 
house of correction). 
St Leonard ( 1 1 89, Leper. On north 

side of the town). 
St Mary at West Bar (1330, Leper). 
Plumtree's Hospital (founded 1390 
and still in existence in a rebuilt 
condition in Red Lion Square). 
Southwell : St Mary Magdalene (1255). 
East Stoke : St Leonard and St Anne (Leper. 
Before 113 5). 
5. Castles. — Newark and Nottingham are the 
only considerable remains. The extensive earth- 
works at Laxton are very interesting. Those at 
Egmanton and Bothamsall are smaller. 



X. Celebrated Men 

It is possible here to mention only a few of 
the men and women who have written their 
names large upon the pages of history. In all 
spheres and in all ages Nottinghamshire men have 
always been to the front, whether on land or on 
sea, in peace or in war. Such names as Peveril, 
Everingham, Molyneux, Markham, Whalley, 
Sacheverell, Babington, Rempstone, Hutchinson, 
Stanhope, Scrope, Cranmer, Holies, Fenton and 
Cromwell need no introduction of ours. They 
are national, not local. 

But perhaps beyond all these one man stands 
out pre-eminent and occupies a place no other 
hero, except it is King Arthur, has ever challenged. 

42 



CELEBRATED MEN 

Robin Hood is a Nottinghamshire possession. 
He may be a Yorkshireman by birth, and a thief 
by profession, or he may never even have existed, 
as some sticklers for the truth would have us 
believe, but as long as a tree stands in Sherwood 
Forest so long will the name of Robin Hood and 
the tale of his deeds have a place in English hearts. 
The list of Divines contains many well-known 
names. It is to Paulinus that Notts, owes its intro- 
duction to Christianity, while in the 13 th cent, 
the head of the Franciscans in England was one 
William de Nottingham. Wolsey and his friend, 
Dr Thomas Magnus, are to be met with, the 
one at Southwell, the other at Sibthorpe. Arch- 
bishop Cranmer, Queen Elizabeth's godfather, 
according to Shakespeare, was born at Aslockton, 
and probably received his earliest education in 
that village. Bishop Warburton was the son of 
the town clerk of Newark, and at Sibthorpe, in 
1693, was born no less a man than Archbishop 
Seeker. Gilbert Wakefield, scholar and contro- 
versialist, was born at St Nicholas' Rectory, 
Nottingham, in 1756. William Brewster and 
his companions, Bradford and Clifton, are for 
ever connected with Scrooby. That mysterious 
plotter, Henry Garnet, head of the Jesuits in 
England, has been identified as one of the 
Whalleys of Screveton. After his heroic be- 
haviour at Eyam, the Rev. William Mompesson 
came to the little village of Eakring and finished 
his life there. Nor can Dean Hole, son of 
Newark, and for many years the Rector of 
Caunton, be omitted. General Booth, the 
founder of the Salvation Army, must be included, 
though he is still alive. 

43 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Statesmen. — In the reign of Edward I. Henry de 
Newark was an important man, and in the 
neighbouring village of Cromwell we find the 
nameplace, if not the birthplace, of three great 
men — Ralph Lord Cromwell (i 394-1456), Thomas 
Cromwell and Oliver Cromwell. Denzil Holies 
was born at the family house at Haughton, the 
Marquis of Halifax enlarged RufFord Abbey, and 
Mr John Evelyn Denison (Speaker of the House 
of Commons) took his title from a little Notts, 
village when he became Viscount Ossington. 
Viscount Sherbrooke, better known as the Right 
Hon. Robert Lowe, was the son of a rector of 
Bingham. In 1832 Mr Gladstone entered Parlia- 
ment for the first time as a member for Newark. 

Literary Men. — Pride of place among the poets 
must be given to Lord Byron, who lived at 
Newstead Abbey, and lies in his grave in Hucknall 
Torkard church. The birthplace and many of 
the haunts of Henry Kirk White, one of the 
" Albino Poets," as a great American writer called 
him, can still be found, and though a modern 
warehouse occupies the site of the house wherein 
Philip James Bailey, the author of " Festus," was 
born in Weekday Cross, yet he is remembered 
by all who were fortunate enough to know him. 
The Quaker poets, William and Mary Howitt, 
spent the greater part of their lives in or near 
Nottingham, where their house was the resort of 
the chief local literary personages of their day. 
By the side of a retired path in the General 
Cemetery, Nottingham, is the nearly forgotten 
grave of Robert Millhouse, a poet belonging to 
the artisan classes. That voluminous writer 
Thomas Miller was born just outside the county, 

44 



CELEBRATED MEN 

at Gainsborough, but he came to Nottingham 
and served his apprenticeship to a basketmaker. 
Among his many works perhaps " Royston Gower " 
is best remembered. One other Nottingham 
apprentice we must not omit, Colley Cibber. 
There have been a very large number of poets 
of local fame who are almost forgotten now, but 
one, Henry S. Sutton, is deservedly remembered. 
Lady Mary Wortley Montague spent the early 
part of her life with her father, the Duke of 
Kingston, at Thoresby. Nor may we omit the 
names of the three chief historians of the county : 
Dr Robert Thoroton, Dr Charles Deering (a 
German by birth) and Thomas Bailey (the father 
of the author of u Festus "). Newark was the 
birthplace of Henry Constable, the Elizabethan 
sonneteer, and Mansfield can claim to have 
produced Dodsley, the writer and publisher, who 
counted Pope among his friends. And yet 
another poet has a certain right to be mentioned 
here. Thomas Moore settled down after his 
marriage at Kegworth just over the Leicestershire 
border, and he was undoubtedly a frequent 
visitor in this county, though it is not until later, 
when he lived at Ashbourne, that we hear of him 
visiting at Bunny Hall and elsewhere. A small 
tablet in Holme Pierrepont church recalls to our 
memory John Oldham, a writer of odes and 
satires. George Eliot was connected in one or 
two ways with Nottingham, and one of her 
characters, Dinah Morris in "Adam Bede," is of 
particular local interest. Elizabeth Tomlinson, 
for such was her real name, came to Nottingham 
to work in a lace factory where she made the 
acquaintance of Hetty Sorrel (Mary Voce), who 

45 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

was convicted of child murder in this town. Mrs 
Hutchinson deserves to be mentioned for the 
memoirs of her husband. Dr Brewer, compiler 
of the " Reader's Handbook," and other similar 
works, spent the last few years of his life at 
Edwinstowe vicarage, where he died in 1897. 
Previously he had lived some time at Ruddington. 
There is an almost total lack of Musicians in this 
county. Dr John Blow, who was born at Newark, 
has not yet arrived at that degree of fame to which 
his work entitles him. Reginald SpofForth of 
Southwell was a glee writer of note and composer 
of " Hail, Smiling Morn." Almost more numerous 
than the literary men are the Men of Action. 
Sir Thomas Rempstone was a great admiral under 
Henry. IV., with whom he landed at Ravenspur ; 
while his son, Sir Thomas Rempstone of Bingham, 
gained his reputation as a soldier in France, where 
he fought at Agincourt and struggled against 
Jeanne Dare. Captain Robert Fenton of Fenton, 
near Sturton-in-the-Clay, was the Elizabethan 
navigator who acted as pilot to the admiral's ship 
during the fight that led to the defeat of the 
Armada. Henry Ireton of Attenborough, son-in- 
law of Oliver Cromwell, the Earl of Kingston, and 
Colonel Hutchinson of Owthorpe, the gallant 
defender of Nottingham Castle, all played leading 
parts in the Civil War. Gilbert Millington of 
Felley was one of the Regicides, and to Colonel 
Francis Hacker of East Bridgford was entrusted 
the warrant for the execution of King Charles. 
Edward Whalley of Kirketon Hall, Screveton, 
followed the fortunes of his famous cousin, Oliver 
Cromwell. Sir John Borlase Warren of Stapleford, 
and Admiral Earl Howe of Langar are two well- 

46 



CELEBRATED MEN 

known sailors. Martin Frobisher, who came of a 
Finningley family, Sir Hugh Willoughby, of Arctic 
fame, and Sir Charles Fellows, are explorers all 
belonging to well-known local families. David 
Livingstone resided at Newstead for a considerable 
time. 

Among Artists, Paul Sandby and his less famous 
brother, Thomas, Richard Parkes Bonington of 
Arnold, Henry Dawson, James Orrock, who for a 
time was a dentist in Nottingham, and Rossi the 
sculptor, are all men who, by rising to fame, have 
conferred honour on this county. 

Inventors and Scientists. — John Arderne of 
Newark was one of the earliest surgeons and 
writers on medical subjects, who gained his 
experience in the French wars of the 14th cent. 
The Rev. William Lee of Calverton invented the 
stocking frame in the days of Queen Elizabeth ; and 
it is to Edmund Cartwright, who was born at 
Marnham in 1785, that we owe the invention of 
the power loom. Dr Erasmus Darwin, grandfather 
of Charles Darwin, was a naturalist and writer of 
some note, who lived for a short time at Elston. 
Sir Francis Willoughby, naturalist and philosopher, 
was born at Wollaton Hall, where he conducted 
many of his researches in the company of Ray, 
who frequently visited him. Dr Marshall Hall 
was born at Basford. 



47 



DESCRIPTION OF PLACES IN NOTTING- 
HAMSHIRE ARRANGED ALPHABETI- 
CALLY 

Note. — The position of any place can be readily 
discovered from the railroad map on the flyleaf. If the 
place has no railway station the distance of the nearest 
station is always given as a guide. 

The following abbreviations and approximate dates of 
architectural styles have been employed : — 

Norman — 1070-1160. 

Trans. = Transitional Norman (c — 1 160-1200). 

E.E. =Early English (13th cent. — 1200-1270). 

Dec. = Decorated (14th cent. — covers roughly the 
reigns of the first three Edwards). 

Perp. = Perpendicular (15th cent.). 

Adbolton (2 J m. S.E. of Nottingham), which 
now consists of only a few houses, is joined to 
the parish of Holme Pierrepont. The church 
was taken down in 1746, and all traces of the site 
removed in 1834 

Alverton. (See Kilvingto?i.) 

Annesley (R. Station). There are two 
Annesleys, a new and an old, but with the former we 
have no concern, beyond to state the fact that it 
has grown up round a colliery, and that a church 
has been added on the summit of the hill. This 
church was destroyed by an incendiary on 
17th January 1907. Near the hall, the seat 
of the Chaworth Musters family and the home of 
Byron's Mary Chaworth, is the old church (All 
Saints) now deserted. The south aisle was built 

48 



ADBOLTON— ASLOCKTON 

in the 14th cent, as a chantry chapel, and is known 
as the Felley Chapel. It contains a fine east window 
with reticulated tracery, and a triple sedilia. Note 
(1 ) good Norman font ; (2) old stained glass ; (3) 
effigies ; (4) that there used to be a brass, dated 
1593, depicting a hunter armed with bow, arrows 
and hunting knife, and followed by his dog ; it is 
now in the possession of Mrs Musters of Wiverton 
Hall. 

Arnold ( 1 m. N. of Daybrook) is no longer the 
pleasant village on the borders of Sherwood Forest 
which it used to be, but instead has become a 
centre of industry, so that little or no charm 
remains. Collieries and the hosiery trade claim 
the attention of most of the inhabitants. It lies on 
the southern slope of the hills which mount up to 
470 ft. at Dorket Head. The church (St Mary) 
has a 13 th and 14th cent, nave and aisles and a 
I4th-cent. chancel, in which is a stone Easter 
Sepulchre, bereft of all its figures. Note ( 1 ) triple 
sedilia ; ( 2 ) double piscina. Arnold was probably 
the birthplace of R. P. Bonington, the artist. 

At the foot of Red Hill on the main road from 
Nottingham to Mansfield is an old house known 
as " The Guide House," where travellers could 
obtain guides to take them through the devious 
tracks of the adjacent forest. 

Askham (3 m. N. of Tuxford) has a church (St 
Nicholas) which was restored by Mr Hodgson 
Fowler in 1907. Some curious niches in the 
north and south walls were then discovered. 
Only one of the three bells, that dated 161 3, 
is now in use. 

Aslockton (R. Station) is a small village on the 
north bank of the river Smite. Its only claim 
d 49 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

to note is that at the old manor house Archbishop 
Cranmer was born on 2nd July 1480. The 
Cranmer family had acquired this manor in the 
reign of Henry VI., but no trace now remains of 
the house, and a farmhouse has been built on the 
site. Not far from the east end of the church, 
a modern structure, and to the rear of this farm- 
house, is a mound known as " Cranmer's Mound," 
and reputed to have been raised by the Archbishop 
so that he might " sit and survey the face of the 
country and listen to the tunable bells of 
Whatton." During the days of the Reformation 
the parochial chapel was desecrated. Subsequently 
it became a beershop, but it has been rescued, and 
now serves as a mission room to the new church. 
The story goes that early in the 14th cent, a child 
was found deserted on the church stile here ; he 
was christened Aslac, and became standard-bearer 
to Edward III. There is an old stump mill, not 
a common thing in the county nowadays, on the 
road to Scarrington. 

Attenborough (R. Station) is now but a little 
village consisting of some cottages and a few 
modern residences. Tradition asserts, however, 
that it was once a place of considerable importance. 
Its church (St Mary Magdalene) is very interesting 
on account of the grotesque capitals of the nave 
arcade (c. 1200). The I7th-cent. carved panels 
of the benches in the chancel are peculiar. The 
supporting arches in the south aisle of the nave, 
the Dec. font, the steps to the rood-loft, some 
I4th-cent. bench ends in the chancel, the south 
door, the incised slabs in the porch, and the mural 
monuments of local interest, should all be noted. 
The most interesting fact connected with 

5° 



ATTENBOROUGH— AVERHAM 

Attenborough is that in the house to the west 
of the church was born Henry Ireton, the famous 
Parliamentary general, who married a daughter 
of Oliver Cromwell. The church registers contain 
the record of his baptism under the date ioth 
November 1611, and in 161 5 there appears that 
of his brother John, who became Lord Mayor of 
London. 

The Erewash, which divides Notts, from Derby- 
shire, joins the Trent close by this village. 

Austerfteld ( 1 m. N. of Bawtry), though entirely 
in Yorkshire, is associated ecclesiastically with 
Blyth and Bawtry and deserves mention on 
account of its fine Norman chapel, which is to all 
intents and purposes the same as it was when 
built by the De Buslis. There is a good Norman 
tympanum. Here lived William Bradford, one 
of the little band who listened to Richard Clifton 
at Babworth, and William Brewster at Scrooby, 
and who became one of the leading men among 
the Pilgrim Fathers in America. 

Averham (some 3 m. from Rolleston and Newark 
Stations) should be visited on account of the 
exceptionally beautiful situation of its church 
(St Michael), which stands on the bank of the 
Trent, in a churchyard timbered by some grand 
old trees. Across the river a pleasant expanse 
of meadow stretches to Newark, whose spire is 
so conspicuous an object throughout this district. 
The masonry of the church is largely of that 
variety known as "herring-bone," and dating 
from early Norman times. The five-light east 
window (c. 1300) and I4th-cent. tower arch are 
worthy of note. The tombs of the Suttons of 
Averham are of exceptional merit ; note especially 

Si 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

the I3th-cent. coped coffin-shaped tomb with 
Norman-French inscription, under a depressed 
ogee recess (1500), and the English inscription 
on the large tomb in the chancel in memory of 
William Sutton, who died in 161 1. The rich 
upper storey of the tower dates from the 1 5 th cent. 
There are some very pleasant walks by the river. 

Babworth ( 1 m. W. of Retford G.N. Station) 
consists of little more than church, rectory and 
Hall, pleasantly grouped amid trees, and presenting 
a delightful picture. The church (All Saints), 
which contains monuments of the Simpson and 
Eyre families, is associated with the Pilgrim 
Fathers through its minister, Richard Clifton, one 
of the earliest of the Separatists. William Bradford, 
perhaps the most remarkable of this noble band of 
men, used to attend Clifton's ministrations, coming 
over from Austerfield for the purpose. Clifton 
fled to Amsterdam in August 1608, and died there 
eight years later. 

Balderton (2 m. S.E. of Newark) has nothing 
to attract the traveller except its interesting Church 
of St Giles, which retains a Norman north porch, 
reconstructed in the 1 3th cent., and south doorway. 
The inner north doorway, with its beautiful 15th- 
cent. wooden inscribed door, belongs to the 13 th 
cent., at which time the north side of the nave 
and most of the windows of the chancel were built, 
the remainder being the work of the next century. 
Perhaps the best feature is the fine Perp. screen 
(<r. 1475), with the figure of a monk with arms 
crossed, on its western face, and that of the Virgin 
and Child on the eastern side. Note (1 ) the large 
number of old bench ends (some carved with 
rabbits) and the old pulpit ; (2) the 1/j.th-cent. font 

52 



BABWORTH— BARTON-IN-FABIS 

with ball-flower ornament ; ( 3 ) the spire and top 
part of the tower (c. 1450). There are some large 
engineering works, where 500 men are employed. 

Bardolph, Stoke. (See Stoke Bardolph.) 

Barnby-in-the- Willows (2 J m. N.E. of Clay- 
pole) lies on the bank of the river Witham, which 
here forms the county boundary. The church 
(All Saints) has a remarkable early Decorated 
chancel (1 275-1 300) which is worthy of notice. 
There are some remarkable and unique openings 
beneath the lancets at the east end. Note (1) 
memorials of the Sharpe family; (2) I5th-cent. 
benches ; (3) Laudian altar rails disused ; (4) Dec. 
font. There is a circular stone dovecote in the 
village. 

Barnby Moor (J m. W. of Sutton). It is 
almost impossible to learn anything either very 
definite or very interesting about this little hamlet, 
which lies on the Great North Road, and boasts 
of a large hotel, whose fortunes are reviving in 
these days of motor cars. When Barnby belonged 
to the Priory of Blyth all this district was wild 
moorland, and doubtless a happy hunting ground 
for footpads and " gentlemen of the road." 

Barnston (R. Station), near Langar, has a chapel 
(which is attached to Langar) rebuilt in 1855. 

Barton-in-Fabis (i| m. S. of Attenborough. 
There is a ferry across the Trent) is a village of 
considerable antiquity, for a Roman pavement, 
of which a large portion remains, was discovered 
here in 1856. The old dovecote belonging to the 
manor house of the Sacheverells is fast tumbling 
into ruin and requires immediate attention if it is 
to be saved. The church is mainly interesting 
on account of the tombs of the Sacheverell family. 

53 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

The heraldry on these tombs is worthy of notice. 
There is a Jacobean holy-table. On Brents Hill 
near the village are traces of extensive earthworks, 
which may, however, be the remains of terrace 
ploughing. 

Basford (R. Station and trams), which now forms 
part of the city of Nottingham, once gave its 
name to a family not unknown to history. The 
most interesting point about the church, which 
exhibits work of various periods, is its dedica- 
tion to St Leodegarius, familiarly known as St 
Leger. The brick-built manor house near the 
church was at one time the residence of Philip 
James Bailey, the author of " Festus." 

Bawtry (R. Station) is a little market town, 
half in Yorkshire and half in Notts. Down its 
broad street passes the Great North Road, and 
along this highway has passed the traffic of many 
centuries. Mention of the Port of Bawtry occurs 
in the Hundred Rolls, and indeed this sleepy little 
town " was one of the principal depots and wharfs 
for the productions of the Vale of the Don, the 
hardware of Sheffield and the lead of Derbyshire, 
which found a more convenient passage by the 
Idle and the Trent, than by the less certain naviga- 
tion of the Don, the Aire, and the Ouse, to Hull." 
The church (St Helen) is not a handsome 
structure. It has a 1 2th-cent. north door, but the 
greater part of the building dates from the 14th 
cent. There is a good I3th-cent. east window. 
The hospital of Bawtry, a Norman foundation, 
was situated in Harworth parish. The chapel at 
Martin was the Hospital Chapel. 

Beauvale Priory (3 m. W. of Hucknall 
Torkard) lies in the basin of a valley which, 

54 



BASFORD— BECKINGHAM 

even now, when there are collieries on all sides, 
deserves the name of beautiful, given to it so 
long ago. Little remains of this Carthusian 
foundation — the last monastic foundation in the 
county — which owes its conception to Nicholas 
de Cantilupe, Lord of Ilkeston and Greasley, in 
1343. Henry VIII. 's determination to marry 
Anne Boleyn was the beginning of the end for 
Beauvale. Its Prior Lawrence together with 
Prior Houghton of the London Charterhouse 
(once Prior of Beauvale) and Prior Webster of 
Axholme went to London to see Thomas Crom- 
well on this matter. They did not prove 
amenable to the royal will, and in May 1535 
were put to death. The last prior, Thomas 
Woodcock, surrendered his charge to the king 
in 1540. Excavations were made by the Thoro- 
ton Society during 1908, and though not of 
great extent they have disclosed the size of this 
priory. The prior's house and the west end of 
the church, a chapel near the cloister and one 
cell may now be seen, and the remains of the 
gatehouse and the fishpond near it are recognis- 
able. Anyone visiting here in the early summer 
should try to obtain permission to go into the 
woods as far as Robin Hood's Well (just behind 
the priory) ; for perhaps nowhere else in this 
neighbourhood can such masses of forget-me-nots 
and other early flowers be seen. 

Beckingham (R. Station), a village, picturesque 
with its red tiles and abundance of trees, presents 
a pleasant contrast to the uninteresting country 
which surrounds it. Its church possesses some 
good Early English work (c. i22o)in the nave 
and sedilia. The pear-shaped shafts at the west 

55 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

end of the nave are worthy of notice. The 
font is quite plain and belongs to the Norman 
period. There are some curious brackets inside, 
and on the exterior a remarkable series of gar- 
goyles. The large number of brick-built dove- 
cotes in this and the neighbouring villages should 
be noted. 

Beeston (R. Station) has grown during the 
last few years from a village into a town given 
over largely to manufactures. The chief cause of 
this sudden growth was the presence of the 
Humber Cycle Works, where a very large staff 
was employed. These works have recently been 
removed to Coventry, with the result that the 
population has decreased by 3000. Excellent 
boating may be had on the Trent at Beeston, and 
during the summer months a large number of 
houseboats take up their stations in this reach of the 
river. The church was one of Sir Gilbert Scott's 
earliest restorations. It retains part of the old 
chancel, a I4th-cent. sedilia and a I3th-cent. font. 

Besthorpe (3 m. N.W. of Collingham) is 
worth visiting on account of the Fleet, a large 
sheet of water due originally to the vagaries of 
the Trent at this point. The scene is not dis- 
similar to many in the Broads, and will please 
artists. 

Bestwood (R. Station) was once one of the 
wildest and most primeval parts of Sherwood 
Forest, but all this has been altered. Edward 
III. emparked this part of his royal forest, and 
built a hunting lodge here, which he granted to 
Richard de Strelley for his lifetime. In Henry 
VIII.'s reign it belonged to Sir John Byron, and 
later on it passed to the Earl of Rutland. In 

56 



BEESTON— BILSTHORPE 

1683, however, Charles II. gave it to his natural 
son by Nell Gwynne, Henry Beauclerk, whom he 
created Duke of St Albans. It has never since left 
the possession of this family. The house is modern 
and so situated as to command extensive views, 
and yet to retain some of that privacy which the 
proximity of a large and ever-growing town, like 
Nottingham, tends to destroy. 

Bevercotes (3 m. N.W. of Tuxford) is situated 
on a low bluff of land projecting into the formerly 
marshy courses of the Meden and the Maun, 
which are restrained within artificial channels. 
The name of this village provides us with our 
only ground for claiming that there have ever 
been beavers in the county. The church fell 
down about the middle of the 17th cent, and has 
not been rebuilt. 

Bilborough (4 m. N.W. of Nottingham) is a 
little hamlet adjoining Strelley. With the ex- 
ception of a tithe barn and a little church built 
during the reign of Richard II., there is nothing 
to see. The epitaph of Edmund Helwys, who 
died October 1590, is worth recording : 

" Edmunde exiguo residens Helwise sepulchro 
Extremum doceas corporis omnis iter. 
Nata simul dilecta tibi vi mortis iniquse 
Rapta sub hoc tumulo cum genitore jacet. 
Scilicet hie mortis mos est mortisque triumphus 
Grandaevos teneris tollere saepe simul. 
iEtas flos serus non rumpunt vincula mortis 
Nata paterque cadunt tempore nata prior." 

Bilsthorpe (3^ m. N.W. of Kirklington) 
occupies a very secluded position on the borders 
of Sherwood Forest. Its conspicuous church 

57 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

(St Margaret) contains the tomb of Mr Henry 
Savile of Rufford, who died in 1881, and a 
wreath sent by Queen Victoria as a token of her 
esteem for Mr Augustus Savile, who died in 1887. 
Here too is a memorial to Dr William Chappell, 
who became Bishop of Cork and Ross, and was 
famous as a debater. He died at Derby in 
1649. The nave is partly I4th-cent., and the 
chancel was built early in the next century. 
There is an early Norman tub font supported, as 
Dr Cox ascertained recently, on part of a pre- 
Norman cross. Note pre-Reformation benches 
under tower. There is a good view from the 
churchyard, in which is the epitaph on the tomb 
of the wife of John Fletcher (d. 175 1 ) : 

" Little Mary, she is dead and gone 
And was a loving and a precious wife to Little John." 

But little of the old Hall remains, in which 
Charles I. is supposed to have hidden himself. 

Bingham (R. Station) is now a drowsy little 
town with a large empty market-place, which 
bustled with life in the days of the stage coaches. 
Its only claim to attention lies in its fine cruciform 
church with a broach spire, of unusual design and 
great beauty, at the west end. The bases of the 
nave piers and the tower date from the first half 
of the 13 th cent. The nave appears to have been 
built when the E.E. style was changing to the 
early Dec. The chancel and transepts are some- 
what later. Note (1) caps of the nave piers ; 
(2) cross-legged effigy of a knight, carved in Caen 
stone, which lies in the vestry, and is supposed 
to represent Richard de Bingham, son of Ralph 

58 



BINGHAM— BLID WORTH 

Bugge, a wealthy Nottingham Merchant of the 
Staple, and the founder of the family of 
Willoughby ; (3) the base of the old rood-screen ; 
(4) ball-flower ornament on tower. 

Bleasby (R. Station) is of little interest. In 
the church (St Mary) is an E.E. arcade. This 
village is one of the numerous claimants to the 
honour of being Tiovulfingacester, where Paulinus 
baptised in the Trent. 

Blidworth lies over 2 m. south of its railway 
station. It occupies the crest of a long ridge, and 
has the reputation of being a very healthy site. 
The church (St Mary) has a late I5th-cent. 
tower, but the rest of the building is i8th-cent. 
work. 

The oak panelling round the chancel came from 
Southwell Minster. The Italian plaster-work 
pulpit {temp. George I.) is a remarkable piece of 
work. To the north-west of the village are some 
so-called Druidical remains. These are natural 
boulders of great size, which have, however, been 
slightly tampered with by man. This parish is 
closely associated with the traditions of Robin 
Hood, and his comrade, Will Scarlet, is said to 
have been buried in the churchyard. A curious 
custom, known as Blidworth Rocking, was, until 
recently, celebrated here on the day of the 
Purification. A cradle was carried in procession, 
a remembrance of the presentation of the Infant 
Christ at the Temple. On a clear evening magnifi- 
cent views can be had from Blidworth : the spire 
of Laughten-en-le-Morthen, the towers of Lincoln 
Minster, the spire of Newark, and the square out- 
line of Belvoir Castle being the most distant 
objects. 

59 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Blyth (3 m. W. of Ranskill) is, architecturally, 
one of the most interesting places in the county, 
and it has also the additional charm of being 
extremely picturesque. At Bawtry you will be 
told with some scorn that Blyth is but a village, 
while Bawtry is a town ; but the fact remains 
that a market used to be held here every Thursday, 
and there were, in addition, two fairs every year. 
These, as well as the market, have been discon- 
tinued. 

In 1088 Roger de Busli, who built and resided 
in the great castle of Tickhill, founded at Blyth 
a priory of Benedictines, subordinate to the 
house of St Katherine at Rouen. The position 
of an alien priory was not always a comfortable 
one during the frequent wars between this 
country and France in the Middle Ages, and 
the priors found that their revenues were not as 
safe as they would have wished them to be. At 
first merely a conventual church, the south aisle 
was widened to admit of its being used as a 
parish church, and it was this change that saved 
so much — and yet so little — of this magnificent 
building. All the eastern part of the church and 
all the domestic buildings have disappeared, and we 
have left but the nave, two aisles, and a western 
tower. The nave of five bays and the north 
aisle are of the greatest interest to archaeologists, 
for the rough style of work reminds strongly of 
the building that had been carried out some 
forty years earlier at the great Abbey of Jumieges 
in Normandy. If we compare the work at Blyth 
with the contemporary work at Durham, we 
cannot fail to be struck by the difference. 
Durham, of course, was advanced, but, notwith- 

60 



BLYTH— BOLE 

standing this, the conclusion that forces itself upon 
us is that someone, imbued with the skill that 
had built Jumieges, came over and built Blyth, 
and thus we have what is really the oldest piece 
of Norman architecture in England in point of 
style, though not of date. The south aisle was 
enlarged to its present size about 1290, the tower 
was built about 1400. Two extremely fine 
wooden screens remain, their lower panels being 
decorated with paintings of saints, some half-dozen 
of which are still recognisable. In the south aisle 
are the remains of an effigy with a square-topped 
helmet, a type unique on tombs though not 
unknown on seals. The north and east sides of 
the church cannot be visited, as they lie in the 
grounds of the Hall, the residence of Mr Willey. 
Here were two medieval hospitals — that of St 
Edmund, a leper-house just outside the town, 
probably on the north, and that of St John the 
Evangelist, also a leper-house, founded in the town- 
ship of Hodsock by William Cressy (temp. John). 
It was re-established in 1446, "for poor strangers 
and pregnant women." Blyth Spital, pulled 
down in 18 10, was the master's house. This 
foundation survived the days of the Reformation. 
(For Blyth Tournament Field see Styrrup.) 
Bole (2 m. N.N.E. of Sturton) is a small 
village which was once on the bank of the Trent, 
but is no longer so, for the river now takes a 
more direct course than it formerly did. The 
church (St Martin) belongs chiefly to the 13th 
cent., with I5th-cent. additions and alterations. 
Note ( 1 ) pulpit ; ( 2 ) brass on sill of south- 
east chancel window to John Danby (1400). 
There is a moated site near the village. 

61 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Bothamsall is about equidistant (5^ m.) from 
Tuxford and Retford stations. The church was 
built in 1844 by the Duke of Newcastle to 
replace a dilapidated structure. On the western 
side of the village are the mounds of what was 
once a large fortified building, occupying a strong 
position above the marshes of the Meden, which 
now runs in an artificial channel. 

Boughton has a modern church and a railway 
station. The city of Nottingham obtains much of 
its water from this locality. 

Bradmore (2 m. S. of Ruddington station) is 
a hamlet and chapelry of Bunny on the main 
road between Nottingham and Loughborough. 
The place was devastated by a fire on 2nd July 
1 706, and all that was left of the church was the 
tower and spire as they stand to-day. 

Bradebusk. (See Go?talston and Introduction, 
Section IX.) 

Bramcote (2 m. E. of Stapleford station) stands 
high above the surrounding country, and the spire 
of its modern church, erected in 1861, is a 
conspicuous feature of the landscape. The village 
is, moreover, of great beauty, and the desolate 
tower of the old Church of St Michael stands 
lonely, but picturesque, in its leafy frame. The 
rest of the building was pulled down in 1861. 
The old font [c. 1250) is in the new church. 
Bramcote Hall is the residence of the Smith 
family whose fame as bankers is world wide. 
Near Bramcote, on the Strelley road, is an isolated 
mass of red sandstone, known as the Hemlock 
Stone, the object of many excursions from 
Nottingham and the surrounding villages. 

Brents Hill. (See Barton-in-Fabis.) 

62 



BOTHAMSALL— WEST BRIDGFORD 

East Bridgford (2 m. S. of Lowdham Station) 
occupies the summit of a steep cliff overhanging 
the Trent, and looks down on to Gunthorpe 
Bridge. The church (St Peter) has little to reward 
the glances of the casual observer, yet for the 
archaeologist the rector's researches have brought 
to light much interesting matter, of which the most 
notable is a part of the foundations of the Saxon 
church found near the north pier of the chancel 
arch. The monument to John Hacker (1620) re- 
minds us that his grandson, Colonel Francis Hacker, 
was a prominent Regicide, and that it was into his 
hands that the death warrant of King Charles I. 
was delivered, and the arrangements for the exe- 
cution of that monarch were made by him. 

On the Fosse Way, near East Bridgford, is the 
site of the Roman station of Margidunum, of 
which nothing like a thorough excavation has yet 
been made. The mounds will be seen on the left 
of the road almost opposite the lane joining the 
hamlet of Newton to the Fosse Way. 

West Bridgford (1 m. south of Nottingham 
Midland Station. Frequent trams), from being 
only a small village twenty years ago, has now be- 
come a large residential suburb of Nottingham, with 
streets of villas stretching widely in all directions. 
The Notts. County cricket ground and the 
grounds of the leading football clubs are situated 
here. The old church (St Giles) has been 
enlarged quite recently, and was also restored in 
1 87 1. The old part now serves as a south aisle 
to the larger modern structure, which is of no 
interest. The 13th cent, is represented by the 
priests' door and the window at the west end of 
the south aisle, together with most of the masonry. 

63 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

The best work belongs to the 14th cent. The 
small window above the two east windows is an 
exact reproduction (1871) of that formerly 
occupying this position. It should be noted that 
the heads of these curvilinear windows are not 
pieced together, but are cut out of single blocks of 
stone. The heads of the windows, which were 
displaced when the north wall was taken down to 
make room for the new church, may be seen in the 
south porch. The tower is a late and debased 
example of I5th-cent. work. Note (1) the double 
sedilia — the only one in the county ; (2) the 14th- 
cent. screen ; (3) the corbels in the south aisle ; 
(4) the founder's tomb, rebuilt in the new chancel, 
and the effigy placed therein (this latter is 
the " Stone Man of West Bridgford ") ; ( 5 ) 
the inscribed stone built into the south side of 
the tower. 

Brinsley (2 m. N. of Eastwood station) is a 
scattered village, which is increasing in size and 
ugliness at a rapid rate. The church was built in 
1838. 

Broadholme (1 m. S. of Saxilby Station), now a 
hamlet, is the site of the first Premonstratensian 
nunnery in England, founded about 1140 by 
Agnes de Camville, wife of Peter de Gousla, who 
introduced the Order into England. Hardly 
anything, except a few reused stones, remain. 
There was but one other nunnery of this order in 
England — at Ilford, Lincolnshire. 

Brougk (3 m. S. of Collingham) is the site of 
the Roman station of Crocolana. Recent excava- 
tions, carried out by Mr T. C. Smith Woolley of 
South Collingham, have laid bare but a small part 
of what was a large inhabited area — some 40 acres, 

64 



BRINSLEY— BUDBY 

in fact — and the discoveries tend to show that this 
was much more than a mere military post. A 
large assortment of coins have been found, ranging 
from Domitian (a.d. 81-96) to Gratian (a.d. 375- 
383). A consular denarius inscribed "Acisculus" 
(49-45 b.c.) has also been found. 

Broughton, Upper, or Broughton Sulney 
(R. Station), occupies the eastern slope of a 
steep hill overlooking the Leicestershire village 
of Nether Broughton. The church (St Oswald) 
has rather an incongruous appearance due to the 
flat roof of the nave and the high-pitched roof 
of the chancel. The lower storey o£- the tower 
and south arcade of the nave are Trans., the 
north arcade E.E. Note (1) sculptured stone 
in the porch. It has been suggested that the 
crowned figure represents St Oswald ; (2) cross 
at east end of the chancel gable ; (3) late Dec. 
font bowl. In the village is the stump of a 
cross, and in the front of a house to the south 
of the cross is a beautiful lead cistern, embossed 
with the signs of the zodiac, and dated 1777. 
From 1 767- 1 802 the Rev. Charles Wildbore, an 
eccentric man of great mathematical ability, was 
curate here. 

Broxtow Hall, which lies between Nuttall and 
Strelley, is but a shadow of its former self, and 
little of interest remains. Before the Conquest, 
Broxtow was the property of Earl Godric, and 
in the 16th cent, it was occupied by Sir Hugh 
Willoughby, the famous navigator. The church 
disappeared at some unknown date, and no trace 
of it remains. 

Brunsell Hall. (See Screveton.) 

Budby (4 m. N. of Edwinstowe Station) is 

e 65 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

rendered extremely picturesque by the river 
Meden, which flows beside the road, and adds 
beauty to what is already beautiful. Here 
numerous swans and waterfowl can be seen 
swimming in the brown shaded water, while all 
around are the trees and open moor of the 
Thoresby estate. The church is of the " tin 
tabernacle " variety. 

Bulcote is a hamlet between Burton Joyce and 
Lowdham. The church is modern. 

Bulwell (R. Station and trams), now a part 
of Nottingham, has little to recommend it to 
the visitor. The church was built in 1850. 
Bulwell Forest is now little more than a 
name, thanks to railways. The golf courses, which 
have recently been made here will, we hope, do 
something towards preserving what little is left 
of the old forest. 

Bulwell Wood Hall is a somewhat isolated 
farmhouse lying just off the road between Watnall 
and fiucknall Torkard. It formed part of the 
estates which were granted to Sir John Byron in 
1 540 on the dissolution of Newstead Priory. The 
house was built by the Hon. William Byron, 
second son of the second Lord Byron. He was an 
ardent Royalist, and was knighted at the battle of 
Edgehill. The White Lady of Newstead was said 
to be his daughter. 

Bunny (3 m. S. of Ruddington) is a picturesque 
village on the main road from Nottingham to 
Loughborough. Among the many owners of the 
manor, Ralph, Lord Cromwell, Lord High 
Treasurer to Henry VI., must be mentioned. In 
Queen Elizabeth's reign, the manor came into 
the possession of the Parkyns family, of which the 

66 



BULCOTE— BURTON JOYCE 

most remarkable member was Sir Thomas, the 
second baronet (1663-1741), who practically re- 
built the village, erecting the school, which we see 
by the main road, restoring the hall, and enclosing 
the park by a wall built upon arches — the first of 
its kind in England. He also purchased the 
manors of Ruddington, Great Leake, Costock, 
Wysall, Thorpe, Willoughby, and parts of Key- 
worth, Barrow-upon-Soar and Gotham. This 
remarkable man is best known for his passion for 
wrestling, which he encouraged by the institution 
of annual wrestling matches held on a piece of 
ground, now in the gardens of the " RanclifFe 
Arms." He published a book called " Inn Play, 
or Cornish Hugg Wrestler." He made a collec- 
tion of stone coffins, and was buried in one of 
them, while over him is erected a monument, 
which he had had made during his lifetime, re- 
presenting him as a wrestler overcome by death. 

The church (St Mary) is a large and handsome 
building of the Dec. and Perp. periods. The 
chancel is of a surprising size for a village church, 
and was begun about 1344. Note (1) south 
porch ; (2) marble christening bowl on pedestal ; 
(3) sedilia ; (4) monument of Sir Thomas Parkyns 
,on north side of the altar ; (5) screen. 

In 1795 Colonel T. B. Parkyns was raised to 
the Irish peerage with the title of Lord RanclifFe, 
which peerage became extinct with the second 
Lord RanclifFe in 1850. 

Burton Joyce (R. Station) is beginning, unfor- 
tunately, to show undoubted and much-to-be- 
lamented signs of suburbandom, and soon there 
will be little left of the old village on the bank of 
the Trent. The church (St Oswald) contains 

67 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

nothing earlier than 1250, to which date the 
beautiful east window of the north aisle belongs. 
The rest of the church with the exception of the 
chancel, which is late I4th-cent. work, is slightly 
later. Note (1) large squint; (2) small window 
in north wall ; (3) tombs of De Jorz and Staple- 
ton families ; (4) the interesting and, for this 
district, unusual broach spire. 

Burton, West, about 4 m. S. of Gainsborough, 
was once a village of some importance, attached to 
the Archbishop of York's manor at Laneham. At 
an early date the church was given to the Prior 
of Worksop. Towards the end of last century it 
was pulled down. 

Calverton (5 m. N.E. of Daybrook Station) 
is hidden away among the hills, and bears the 
impress of occupying a site inhabited at some very 
early date, for a mile or so to the west there is 
a large pre-Roman encampment on Cockpit Hill. 
It was at Calverton that the Rev. William Lee 
was born. He it was who invented the stocking 
frame, but failed to impress Queen Elizabeth with 
the importance of his discovery, and was compelled 
to seek a foreign country, where, in France, his 
bad luck followed him, and he died penniless. 
The church (St Wilfrid) seems to have been 
reconstructed in the 14th cent, out of the materials 
of a previously existing Norman church. A 
subsequent rebuilding in 1 760-1 763 has resulted 
in the insertion of some round-headed windows. 
The early Norman chancel arch has on its north 
capital a carving believed to represent St Wilfrid 
and a convert. Built into the third storey of the 
tower, on the inside, are eight carved stones, while 
a ninth may be seen on the north side of the 

6S 



BURTON, WEST— CARLTON 

tower outside near the ground. These stones seem 
to have formed part of the arch of a Norman 
doorway, and are carved to represent symbolically 
the months of the year. Counterparts of this 
work may be seen on the fonts at Burnham 
Deepdale in Norfolk, and Brookland in Kent. 

Carburton (7 m. S. of Worksop) is a collection 
of some half-a-dozen houses and a tiny Norman 
chapel, which is associated with Perlethorpe and, 
like that church, possesses a register which begins 
in 1528, these being two of the three extremely 
early ones of this date, the other one being at 
Elsworth, in Cambridgeshire. 

Car Colston (4 m. N. of Bingham) is very 
picturesquely grouped round a large open green, 
the abode of innumerable geese. It is of interest 
to Notts, people as the home of Dr Robert 
Thoroton, the first historian of the county. His 
stone coffin is in the church, and a tablet to his 
memory has recently been erected by the local 
archaeological society, which bears his name. 
The church (St Mary) has one of those noble 
i^th-cent. chancels, built by that school of 
craftsmen whom we shall meet at Woodborough, 
Hawton, and elsewhere. The sedilia is a good 
specimen of its period. The shoulderlike 
curvature on the eastern face of the chancel arch 
is curious, but not particularly pleasing. The 
nave is E.E. and the font Norman. The tower 
is E.E. in its lower stages, but has been rebuilt 
in the Perp. period. 

Carlton (R. station) will probably be a continua- 
tion of Nottingham on the east in the near future, 
and is of no interest whatever. 

Carlton-in-Lindrich (2^ m. N. of Worksop) 

69" 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

comprises the pretty villages of North and South 
Carlton. At the latter is a fine church (All 
Saints) in whose tower there would seem to be 
authentic work of the last period of Saxon 
building, though there are some who argue that 
this is post-Conquest work. There is a considerable 
amount of " herring-bone " masonry in the upper 
storeys of the tower. The nave has been much 
restored, and shows work of the late Norman 
period, similar to that at Worksop. 

Carlton-on-Trent has a station on the G.N.R. 
Its church was built in 185 1. 

Cars, The, is the name given to that part of 
Hatfield Chase which lies within the borders 
of Notts. It stretches some 8 m. from Bawtry 
on the west to the Trent, with an average width 
of 2 m. In the middle of the 17th cent, attempts 
were made to drain this fenland, but it w r as not 
until early last century that success was attained. 
This part of the county is very little known, yet it is 
quite worth a visit, if only because it is so entirely 
different from anything else within our borders. 
One might be in the Cambridgeshire Fens for any- 
thing the scenery would indicate to the contrary. 
Hedgeless roads, flat and uninteresting, pass in 
straight lines between dykes of sedgy water, and 
rich crops wave in the large fields on either hand. 

Caunton (5 m. N. of Newark) has a w r ell-restored 
church (St Andrew) with late I2th-cent arcade, 
I3th-cent. chancel and font, I4th-cent. aisle 
windows, and I5th-cent. tower. Dean Hole was 
vicar here for many years. 

Checkerhouse Station. A station between 
Worksop and Retford on the G.C.R. 

Chihvell ( 1 J m. W. of Beeston) is a hamlet which 

70 



CARLTON— CLAYWORTH 

still retains a few traces of beauty. One Barnaby 
Googe, writing in 1577, says : "There is beside 
Nottingham an auncient house called Chylwel 
in which house remayneth yet as an auncient 
monument in a great wyndowe of Glasse, the 
whole order of planting, proyning, stamping and 
pressing of Vines. Beside, there is yet also 
growing an old Vine that yeeldes a grape 
sufficient to make a right good wine as was lately 
prooved by a Gentlewoman in the saide house." 
Needless to say the culture of vines is one of the 
lost arts at Chilwell. 

Church Laneham. (See Laneham.) 

Cinder Hill (Bulwell, 1 m.) is a modern village, 
near Nottingham, which quite lives up to the 
promise of its name. 

Clarborough (3 m. N.E of Retford) is a 
pleasantly situated village on the eastern edge of the 
valley of the Idle. The church has been largely 
restored, and calls for no description. There is 
a fine yew-tree in the churchyard. A large number 
of strawberries are grown in this district. 

Clayrvorth (Ranskill \\ m., Retford, 7 m.) on 
the Roman road from Lincoln to Doncaster. Its 
church (St Peter), which was restored by Sir G. 
Scott in 1875, is a curious mixture of styles. 
The lower part of the tower is of early I2th-cent. 
date, while the nave has been built probably in 
the 13th and altered in the late 15th cent. Note 

( 1 ) the Chapel of St Nicholas in south aisle ; 

(2) tomb of Humphrey Fitzwilliam, who died 
1 8th October 1559. The modern wall paintings do 
not always convey the meaning intended. There 
is an extremely interesting rector's book kept, from 
1 676- 1 70 1, by the Rev. William Sampson. 

71 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Close to Clayworth is Wiseton Hall, the modern 
residence of Colonel Laycock, D.S.O. The 
property was originally in the possession of the 
Acklom family. 

Clifton (2 m. N.W. of Ruddington. A pleasanter 
way of reaching it is to take a tram from Nottingham 
market-place to Wilford Bridge, and thence to 
walk by the river, through Clifton Grove, a 
distance of about 2 m. in all) has contrived to 
retain most of its old - world charm, notwith- 
standing the fact that it is one of the chief show 
places of Nottingham. There are numerous 
thatched cottages, a wide open green with a brick- 
built dovecote in the midst of it, and above 
all the far-famed Grove, immortalised by Henry 
Kirk White, the Hall, and the church. The 
Hall has some very beautiful gardens, which over- 
hang the Trent in a series of grassy terraces. The 
church (St Mary) is a cruciform structure with a 
central tower. The north arcade was built about 
1 200. There is a fine series of effigies and brasses 
in the north transept. Note (1) chancel roof, 
1503 ; (2) south door to family vault, 1632 ; 
(3) the cross on the west end of the nave roof. 
The most remarkable member of the Clifton 
family, which has been connected with the village 
from a very early date, was Sir Gervase Clifton 
(born, 1587), married seven times; he was 
a staunch Royalist, and was noted for his 
generosity and hospitality. He it is who 
is mentioned in the lines, written by Queen 
Elizabeth : 



" Gervase the Gentle, Stanhope the stout. 
Markham the lion, and Sutton the lout. ,: 

72 



CLIFTON— CLUMBER HOUSE 

Visitors to the Grove should make themselves 
familiar with Kirk White's narrative poem of 
" The Fair Maid of Clifton." Near the village 
is a large piece of open field, 330 acres in extent, 
known as Clifton Pasture. Every year this land 
is divided among the farmers, the unit of division 
being a "gate" (1^ acres). 

Clifton, North and South (R. Station), are situated 
in the north of that part of the country which lies 
to the east of the Trent. The church (St George) 
lies between the two villages. In the year 18 19 
the father of Charles Kingsley was curate here. 
The ferry over the river is an old one, and formerly 
the ferryman could claim a meal at the vicarage 
at Christmas, while his dog had a right to the 
best place near the fire, to the exclusion of the 
vicarage dog. A little to the south of South 
Clifton, on the main road, a large embankment 
marks the place where, in the great flood of 1795, 
the Trent burst its banks, flooded the adjoining 
parish of Spalford, and flowed eastwards to join 
the Witham. 

Clipstone (2 m. S.W. of Edwinstowe) has the 
scanty ruins of a hunting lodge where King John 
used frequently to resort, whence its name, " King 
John's Palace." Here Richard I. met William 
the Lion of Scotland on his return from the 
Crusades. By the side of the road from Ollerton 
to Mansfield, and situated about 1 m. N.W. of 
Clipstone, is the "Parliament Oak," a veteran tree 
beneath which King John is said to have consulted 
with his nobles when the news of the Welsh 
rebellion arrived. (See Nottingham Castle.) 

Clumber House (for admission apply to the 
estate office at Worksop. The house may only 

73 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

be visited when the family are not in residence). 
This house has less history attached to it than any 
of its great neighbours. Before 1770 the park 
was a barren waste, boggy and untenanted, except 
by rabbits. There may have been a hunting box 
on the estate, but of that we cannot be certain. 
In our description of Haughton and Welbeck it 
will be found stated how these two estates were 
once in the same hands as Clumber, and how it 
fell out that Welbeck went by marriage to the 
dukes of Portland. The Holies estates, of which 
Clumber formed part, came to the Pelhams, who, 
as dukes of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, also owned 
Nottingham Castle. Failure of male heirs led to 
a reconstruction of the dukedom and Thomas 
Pelham became duke of both Newcastle-upon- 
Tyne and Newcastle-under-Lyme. On his death 
the former dukedom became extinct, while the 
latter passed to his nephew, Henry Clinton, 
from whom the present duke is directly descended. 
The first Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyme had 
been a politician and courtier, but the new duke 
was a country gentleman, and having no suitable 
house on his Clumber estate he caused one to be 
built in 1770. The architect was Mr Stephen 
Wright, the designer of the Cambridge University 
Library Building. The original Clumber House 
consisted of a large central block with four wings, 
but in the fire of 1879 tne centra l block was de- 
stroyed, and with it whatever may have remained 
of the somewhat mythical hunting lodge. It is 
therefore in the wings that we must look for 
Wright's work, and we cannot fail to be struck by 
the restraint and delicate touch of this part of the 
work. In the crimson drawing-room will be found 

74 



CLUMBER HOUSE— COLLINGHAM 

a number of contemporary family portraits painted 
by Hoare of Bristol. The state drawing-room 
belongs to the time of the fifth duke, and the 
library to that of the fourth. The great hall was 
built by Barry after the fire. The gardens owe 
much to the fourth duke, who became the posses- 
sor of Worksop Manor in 1840, and before 
destroying that house he transferred many of 
the vases and other gems from the gardens to 
Clumber. The great lake covers an area of 87 
acres, and on it float two vessels. As we traverse 
Clumber Park (11 m. in circumference, and 3400 
acres in extent) it is difficult to believe that it 
was a barren w T aste little more than a century ago. 
A few venerable oaks may remain, the last sur- 
vivors of Clumber and Hardwick Woods. 

Cockpit Hill. (See Caherton.) 

Coddington {t.\ m. E. of Newark) occupies a 
slight eminence on the road from Newark to Slea- 
ford. Its houses are red roofed and picturesque. 
The church (All Saints) is mainly of E.E. char- 
acter, the plate tracery of the windows of the 
south aisle being noticeably good. Note (1) 
Dec. font ; (2) six old bench ends ; (3) stone 
seats round the piers. The chancel is modern. 
In Henry III.'s reign part of this manor was held 
by Walter de Maresco by the service of providing 
the king with a new pair of scarlet breeches once 
a year. Near by is Beacon Hill, where the 
beacon used to flare when danger threatened the 
townsmen of Newark. 

Collingham Station, on the Nottingham and 
Lincoln branch of the Midland Railway, serves 
the two conjoining villages of North and South 
Collingham, situated by the side of the sluggish 

75 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

little river Fleet. Many attempts have been made 
to give these villages a Roman origin, as well as to 
place within their borders a large monastery, but 
beyond the fact that the Roman station of Croco- 
lana was near by, at Brough, no evidence in support 
of these theories can be advanced. Nowadays 
the most interesting features of Collingham 
are its two fine churches. South Collingham 
church (St John the Baptist) has a nave of three 
bays, the north arcade of which is of fine Norman 
character. Probably the two eastern bays were 
finished about 1 1 20, while the western arch dates 
from some thirty years later, when the whole arcade 
was carved with the wealth of zigzag ornamentation 
which now adorns it. The tower and fine south 
arcade were built early in the 13th cent., the 
aisles and chancel in the 14th cent, and the east 
window inserted in the 15th cent. Note (1) 
I3th-cent. font ; (2) the grotesque on the north 
side of the nave — a beast with a man's head in its 
mouth ; the meaning of this is not clear unless it 
be intended to refer to the legend of St Edmund ; 

(3) the registers, which are particularly rich in Puri- 
tan Christian names. North Collingham church 
(All Saints) is later in style than its sister church, 
but even more beautiful. The north respond of 
the tower arch is the earliest feature of the existing 
building (c. 1200). The nave arcades (1225- 12 50) 
are the finest work in the church. The chancel 
arch, of the same period, is of much simplicity and 
beauty. The rest of the church compares but 
poorly with the nave. Note (1) font-cover, 
1 684- 1 700 ; (2) north porch and door, 15th 
cent. ; (3) unidentified effigy in north porch ; 

(4) the heraldic misericords, now placed above the 

76 



COLLINGHAM STATION— COLWICK 

chancel arch ; (5) the stones in the churchyard 
wall marking the heights of the floods ; that bear- 
ing the date 1795, the year when the Trent and 
Witham joined, is the base of a churchyard cross. 
In the High Street of North Collingham are the 
steps and lower part of the fine crocketed village 
cross. 

Colston Basset (4^01. S. of Bingham) is one of 
the prettiest villages in this part of the county. 
Its surrounding lanes are shaded by the trees of 
the park and the presence of the little river Smite 
adds a pleasant feature. But a sad act of van- 
dalism has to be recorded : a few years ago the old 
church, which stands a short distance from the 
village, was dismantled and a new erection put up 
in the village. Nothing but the bare walls and a 
bed of nettles remain to mark what was once a 
church showing all styles of architecture and 
celebrated for its peal of bells. This was one of 
the finest churches in the south of the county, and 
its dismantling was an irreparable mistake. The 
screen is now in Long Whatton Church, Leicester- 
shire. Burials still take place in the old church- 
yard, which can be approached by a footpath 
across the park. The cross in the village was re- 
constructed in 183 1 on the old base, to com- 
memorate the coronation of William IV. 

Colwick (R. Station). Thirty years ago this 
was described as " one of the most picturesque 
spots within the reach of the townsfolk of Not- 
tingham " ; but this can no longer be said to be 
true, for the Hall, having passed successively through 
the hands of the de Colwicks, Byrons and Musters, 
is now a brick mansion (1776) turned into a 
hotel, and in front of it is the Nottingham race- 

77 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

course. The Hall and the church lie a consider- 
able distance from the village. The church (St 
John the Baptist) is interesting on account of the 
tombs of the Byrons and Musters. Round the 
nave are a series of thirty-two carved panels, which 
were probably inserted when the church was re- 
stored and practically rebuilt in 1684. Note the 
memorial to Mrs Musters (d. 1832), Byron's 
Mary Chaworth. The pleasantest way to reach 
Colwick is to take the steamer which plies all 
summer between Trent Bridge at Nottingham and 
the landing stage near the hall. 
Conjure Alders. (See JValesby.) 
Copmanhurst. (See Fountain Dale.) 
Costock (2 m. E. of East Leake) used to be 
known by the unabbreviated form of its name, 
Cortlingstock. The small church (St Giles) is 
almost entirely built in the Dec. style. Note (1) 
tomb outside the chancel ; (2) low-side window ; 
(3) north doorway; (4) the pre-Norman stone 
built into one of the buttresses; (5) I5th-cent. 
bench ends. There is a fine view northwards 
from the hill to the south of the village. 

Cotgrave (3^ m. S. of RadclifFe-on-Trent) is 
situated among the small hills which give so much 
beauty to this sparsely populated district. The 
church (All Saints) contains memorials of the 
Scrimshire family and some good modern wood- 
work. Note " King Charles' Rules " hung up 
under the tower. In 1839, during some work 
on the Fosse Way near here, three bodies, which 
are supposed to have been buried in the 5th cent., 
were dug up. In this part of its course through 
the county this Roman road is little more than 
a very rough lane, but it is well worth while to 

7« 



CONJURE ALDERS— COSSALL 

walk along it, for the scenery has considerable 
charm. 

Cotham (R. Station) is a scattered village by 
the side of the Great Northern Railway. The 
church (St Michael) stands in an isolated posi- 
tion in a field and need not be visited. In 
1830 a fine west tower and one bay of the 
nave were taken down. The epitaph of Eliza- 
beth Hadkins, who died in 1767, is curious : 

" Stop passenger, until my life you've read ; 
The living may get knowledge from ye dead : 
Six times three years I liv'd a virgin life: 
Seven times two years I was a virtuous wife ; 
Eight times six years I liv'd a widow chaste; 
Tired of this mortal life ; and now I rest." 

A younger branch of the Markham family had 
a house here — the largest in the district — which 
has disappeared. From it Sir John Markham set 
out to distinguish himself at the battle of Stoke 
Field, which must have been largely visible from 
the windows of the Hall. 

(See East Stoke for the road from there to 
Cotham.) 

Cossall stands on an eminence about 1 m. 
from Ilkeston Midland Station. Its church (St 
Catherine), which w T as partly rebuilt in 1842,, 
contains a good font and a piece of old stained 
glass representing St Catherine. Note the monu- 
ment in the churchyard to Shaw, Waplington 
and Wheatley, three heroes of Waterloo. To 
the west of the church are the picturesque alms- 
houses, founded in 1685 by George Willoughby. 
There are eight houses and a chapel. From 
Cossall there is a good view over the thriving 

79 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Erewash Valley, with the town of Ilkeston on 
the opposite slope. The earliest known mention 
of coal dug in Notts, comes from Cossall in 
1348. 

Cottam (R. Station) has a small chapel with a 
rich Norman door. This is the most convenient 
station for Littleborough. 

Cresswell Crags lie on the border of Notts, and 
Derbyshire, not far to the west of Worksop. 
Here is a long ravine cut out of the magnesian 
limestone^ and on each side are some very deep 
caves in which numerous remains of animals, long 
extinct in England, have been found. 

(See prehistoric notes in Introduction.) 

Cromwell (2 m. S. of Carlton-on-Trent Station) 
has given its name to a family whose fame is 
national, the first of whom to achieve a reputa- 
tion was Ralph, Lord Cromwell, Lord Treasurer 
of England, who is buried in his church at 
Tattershall in Lincolnshire. There is a well- 
restored church (St Giles), in which traces of 
" herring-bone " masonry have been found. The 
nave, south door and windows of north side of 
the chancel were all built in the 13th cent. The 
south side of the chancel is lighted by some 
excellent i^th-cent. windows, and the east window 
has Flamboyant tracery. The tower is said to 
have been built in 1427. In the churchyard is 
the base of the cross supporting a sundial. 

Cropwell Bishop (4 m. S.E. of RadclifFe-on- 
Trent) has large plaster works supplied by the 
gypsum found to the south of this place. The 
church (St Giles) has an E.E. nave and a good 
early Perp. east window. Note ( 1 ) Tudor roof 
supported by grotesque brackets ; (2) carved 

80 



COTTAM— DARLTON 

bench ends late 14th cent. ; (3) fragments of old 
glass in east window of south aisle ; (4) the piece 
of wall-plate timber bearing the nailhead orna- 
ment of the 13 th cent. 

Pleasant walks may be had along the towpath 
of the Grantham Canal, and for those who are 
not afraid of a long walk we would suggest a 
return to Nottingham by this path. 

Cropwell Butler, which lies 1 m. to the north 
of Cropwell Bishop, is a chapelry of Tythby. 

Crow Park Station is the station (G.N.) of 
Sutton-on-Trent. 

Cuckney (3 m. N. of Warsop) is pleasantly 
situated on the river Poulter, which between here 
and Carburton has been formed into a number 
of picturesque artificial lakes. The church (St 
Mary), which has been well restored, has an 
exceptionally long nave of six bays with a north 
aisle, which appears to have been built about 
1200. A I3th-cent. outer door leads through 
the porch into the church by a late Norman 
door. The tower has I3th-cent. belfry windows. 
Note (1) font; (2) stoup in the porch. The 
manor passed from the De Cuckneys by marriage 
to the Fauconbridges, who held it by the tenure 
of shoeing the king's horse when he came to 
Sherwood Forest. 

Darlton (3 m. N.E. of Tuxford) has a church 
(St John) with a good Trans, south door, two 
i6th-cent. brasses, and a chalice dated 1579. 
Near to Darlton is the moated site of Kingshaugh, 
once a hunting lodge of King John, which seems 
to have been of some strength and importance, 
for Thoroton records that here Earl John made 
war against his brother Richard I. The moats 
f 81 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

may be traced with considerable clearness through- 
out their whole course. 

Dorket Head. (See Arnold.} 

Drakeholes (4 m. N.W. of Ranskill) is 1 m. 
from Everton. It is situated at a narrow 
part of the hills through which the Chesterfield 
Canal passes by means of a short tunnel. There 
is said to have been a Roman station at this spot. 
It is worth mentioning that good accommodation 
(a thing rare in this part of the county) may be 
obtained at the White Swan Inn here. 

Drayton, East (4.J m. N.E. of Tuxford), once 
had a Hall belonging to the Rayner family. 
There is a large church (Sts. Peter and Paul) 
with a fine Dec. stone-roofed porch retaining 
the remains of a stoup. There is nothing of 
interest inside. 

Drayton, West (3 m. N.W. of Tuxford), stands 
on a piece of rising ground between the Meden 
and the Maun. Its little aisleless church (St 
John the Baptist) has a Norman south door 
with a stoup beside it. 

Dunham- on- Trent (2 J m. N. of Fledborough) 
stands near a toll bridge across the Trent, which 
is of great beauty here., The church (St Peter) 
is noteworthy for the four great Perp. windows 
in the tower. 

Eakring, which lies 3J m. from both Ollerton 
and Kirklington Stations, consists, for the most part, 
of a street 1 m. in length. A particular object of 
interest is the church (St Andrew), in which is a 
brass to the Rev. William Mompesson, the heroic 
clergyman who braved the plague at Eyam in 
Derbyshire. Sir George Savile presented him with 
the living of Eakring, where he remained rector 

82 



DORKET HEAD— EDWALTON 

for thirty-eight years, until his death in 1708. 
Note (1) font, 1674; (2) two carvings in the 
south porch of the coat-of-arms of Queen 
Elizabeth, which came from a house in the village, 
formerly an inn, where that ubiquitous monarch 
is said to have slept ; (3) figure over west door ; 

(4) poor-box " Remember ye Poor 1 7 1 8 " ; 

(5) Jacobean pulpit. 

Eastwood (R. Station) owes its rapid growth 
entirely to collieries. The church was built in 
1858. 

Eaton (2 m. S. of Retford) is the traditional 
site of the battle of the Idle, fought in 617 
between Redwald of East Anglia and Ethelfrith 
of Northumbria. We consider Rainworth is a 
more probable spot for this battle, and refer the 
reader to that place. The church is modern. 
There is a footpath along the left bank of the 
river to Retford, for those who prefer it. 

Edingley (1 m. S.W. of Kirklington) has a 
church (St Giles) which has been pulled about 
and made smaller to such an extent that the only 
curious thing about it is that it exists at all. 

Edwalton is a very small village with a mean 
church (St Lawrence), which was founded about 
1 166 by Robert Fitz Ranulph and given to the 
Priory of Beauchief in Derbyshire, not, however, 
in expiation of the murder of Thomas a Becket, 
as the story has it ; for Fitz Ranulph had nothing 
•to do with that crime. Near the porch is a tomb- 
stone to Mrs Rebecca Freeland, who died 1741, 
bearing these lines : 

" She drank good Ale, good Punch and Wine, 
And liv'd to th' Age of ninety-nine." 

83 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Note the diapered brick tower of Marian date. 

Edwinstowe (R. Station) is, perhaps, the best 
centre for visiting the most delightful parts of 
Sherwood Forest. Birklands and Bilhagh are 
within easy reach, and there many of the finest 
trees will be found, including the popular and 
much-spoiled Major Oak, named after Major 
Rooke, a local antiquary of note. So innumerable 
are the walks which may be taken in this part of 
the forest that it is quite useless to point out any 
one or other surpassing the rest. The church 
(St Mary) is quite one of the best in this district. 
It is largely of I3th-cent. date, and its beautiful 
spire is a landmark far to the south. Above the 
south chancel door is a carved stone which is said 
to have been used as the standard foot of 18 in. 
employed in measuring forest land. At present 
the stone is not much more than 14 in. long. It 
has been claimed that it was to Edwinstowe that 
King Edwin's body was brought after the battle 
of Heathiield (633), and from what we know of 
this obscure period it does not seem unlikely that 
such may have been the case. It is worth while 
noting that Robin Hood and Maid Marian are 
reputed to have been married in Edwinstowe 
church. 

Egmanton (1 m. S. of Tuxford G.C. Station) 
lies in a hollow by the side of a little stream. 
The church (St Mary) has a south door and font 
which cannot have been made much later than 
1 100, though the nave is now Trans, in character. 
On the south side is the Savile Chantry, in the 
windows of which two small pieces of good old 
stained glass remain. The altar-table in the north 
aisle is dated 1685. The church has recently 

84 



EDWINSTOWE— EPPERSTONE 

been restored by the Duke of Newcastle and the 
parishioners. One family here have been ac- 
customed for generations to bury its dead "in 
ham." A large ham is kept ready, and after the 
funeral a feast is held at which the ham is eaten. 
Just behind the vicarage are the mound and 
earthworks of a castle, probably built soon after 
the Conquest by Roger de Busli. On the road 
between Egmanton and Kirton is the site of the 
Hall, once the residence of the Laycocks. 

Elkesley (4 m. S.E. of Checkerhouse Station) 
has a church (All Saints) of somewhat heavy 
character. The old font does duty as a pump 
trough in the village. Several pleasant walks may 
be taken in the direction of Clumber and the 
Normanton Inn. 

Elston (5 m. S.W. of Newark and 3I m. S. W. of 
Cotham) will be for ever associated with the 
Darwin family, who came here from Lincolnshire 
in the 17th cent. Here were born Robert Darwin 
and his more famous brother, Dr Erasmus Darwin, 
the grandfather of Charles Darwin, and a scientist 
of no small repute. In a field is a deserted chapel 
with a fine I2th-cent. doorway. The church 
(All Saints), which has two beautiful early Dec. 
windows on the south side of the chancel, has 
many memorials of the Darwins. 

Elton (R. Station) is a small, pleasantly situated 
village possessing little attraction. The large Hall 
is the property, and one of the seats, of Lord Grant- 
ley. The church (St Mary) is an extremely mean 
building which like many others in Notts, has once 
been larger. It contains some old altar rails, but 
little else. Part of the stocks remain in the village. 

Epperstone (2 m. N. of Lowdham) is embowered 

8S 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

in a profusion of trees, which gives much charm to 
this pretty little village. Here were three manor 
houses, of which nothing remains. The church 
(All Saints) has a remarkable nave arcade {temp. 
Edward I.), an aisle, tower and spire of good 
I5th-cent. work, with a good base plinth of the 
same date. The fine I4th-cent. chancel was 
pulled down, probably in the 17th cent., and a 
brick erection substituted. Note (1) effigy of a 
man at east end of south aisle, slightly earlier than 
that at Oxton ; (2) rude Norman tub font ; (3) 
1 2th and 13th cent, incised slabs. John Oding- 
sells, whose tablet will be seen, was a member for 
Notts, in the Barebones Parliament. 

Everton (3 m. E. of Bawtry) stands on the 
range of low hills which run east and west in the 
north of the county. It commands a fine view 
over the valley of the Idle to the south, and across 
the marshy Cars to the north. The church (Holy 
Trinity) contains a fine Norman tympanum, 
chancel arch and tower arch. At a restoration 
in 1 841 the south transept and apse were built, 
and a copy of the old font, which is now in the 
vicarage garden, was made. Traces of fortifica- 
tions, believed to be Danish, have been found on 
some of the hills in the neighbourhood. 

Farndon (2 m. S.W. of Newark) is situated a 
little to the west of the Fosse Way. The church 
has a I4th-cent. south arcade. An inscription on 
the tower shows that considerable repairs were done 
in 1598. Dr Cox is of opinion that some of the 
masonry of the north wall of the nave is pre- 
Conquest work. 

Famsfield (R. Station) is a large village with a 
church (St David) built in i860. The old font 

86 



EVERTON— FINNINGLEY 

was placed in the churchyard as recently as 1880 
and, unfortunately, still remains out of doors. 
Two stages of the old tower (<r. 1400) remain. 
North-east is Hexgrave Park, where are traces of a 
camp which was probably used by the Romans ; 
south-west is Combs Farm, where another earth- 
work is to be seen. 

Felley Priory (3 m. W. of Annesley) was an 
Augustinian house, founded by Ralph Britto of 
Annesley in 1156. Until 1260 it was subject to 
Worksop Priory. The very little that is left of it 
is incorporated in a beautiful brick-gabled house, 
the residence of Mr Gerard Oakes. The property 
was formerly in the hands of the Millingtons, of 
whom the best known is Gilbert Millington, the 
Regicide. The priory, or abbey as it is incorrectly 
called, occupies a beautifully sheltered position at the 
head of a valley sloping to the south, and fully bears 
out the dictum that the founders of these religious 
houses had an unerring eye for beauty of position. 

Fenton. (See Sturton-le-Steeple.) 

Finningley (R. Station), which is situated in a 
curiously projecting piece of Notts., is the most 
northerly village in the county. It is connected 
with the Frobishers, of whom Sir Martin Frobisher, 
the great Elizabethan seaman, is the best-known 
owner of the manor, though he was not born 
here. The church (Holy Trinity) has a Nor- 
man tower, good south door and font, while 
the chancel is of i^th-cent. date. In the porch 
are a number of incised slabs. The pulpit is 
dated 1603. The country here is extremely 
flat and to the east of the village much 
resembles the fens of the eastern counties. The 
inn called the Horse and Stag derived its name 

87 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

from an incident which happened in 1707. 
During a stag hunt a wounded stag (or red deer) 
apparently attacked its hunter, who was helped by 
his horse, which attacked the stag, to subdue the 
wounded animal. 

Fiskerton has a station on the Midland Railway, 
Nottingham and Lincoln Branch. It is a great 
resort of anglers. (See East Stoke.) 

Flawborough (2 m. from Elton and Orston 
Station) has little to recommend it except the 
magnificent view from the churchyard. Close by 
may be seen Thoroton spire on the other side of 
the river Smite, then Sibthorpe, with its stone 
dovecote, and on the right Shelton among the 
trees, while in the distance Elston and Cotham 
appear. The church was rebuilt in 1840 and 
retains only a Norman circular font with shallow 
arcading round it, and a fine Norman west door. 
There is a painting of the church as it was previous 
to the rebuilding. From the road between Flaw- 
borough and the windmill there is a good view of 
Belvoir Castle and Bottesford spire. 

Flawforth (1 m. E. of Ruddington). Nothing 
remains of the village which occupied the top of a 
slight hill. That the place was of some importance 
is witnessed by the fact that the church was the 
mother church of the chapelries of Ruddington 
and Edwalton. Various descriptions of the build- 
ing remain, which show it to have been of con- 
siderable size. It was not used after 17 18, and 
was pulled down in 1773. In the Castle Museum 
at Nottingham may be seen three effigies of St 
Peter, the Virgin Mary and a bishop, which were 
found here in 1779. 

Fledborough occupies an isolated position by the 

88 



FISKERTON— FOUNTAIN DALE 

side of the Trent, which may have had something 
to do with the fact that from 1721-1753 the 
church was an imitation Gretna Green, for the 
rector, the Rev. W. Sweetaple, was only too ready 
to grant licences. Here, on nth August 1820, 
Dr Thomas Arnold, the well-known headmaster of 
Rugby School, married Mary, the daughter of the 
Rev. John Penrose, one of whose sons married 
Miss Cartwright of East Markham, the authoress, 
amongst other works, of " Mrs Markham's History 
of England " and who himself was buried here on 
17th September 1829 by John Keble of Oxford. 
The church (St Gregory) has a I2th-cent. tower 
and a i^th-cent. nave and aisles. The chancel is 
modern. Note (1) the interesting effigies and 
incised slabs, especially the floriated cross under 
the tower; (2) the I4th-cent. glass; (3) the 
remains of the Easter Sepulchre. 

Fleet, The. (See Bestborpe.) 

Flintham (5 m. N. of Bingham) was for long the 
residence of the Hose family, whose house occupied 
the site of the present Hall, in which lives Mr 
Thoroton Hildyard, a lineal descendant of the 
brother of the local historian, Robert Thoroton. 
The church (St Augustine), which is curiously 
designed, was rebuilt, with the exception of the 
chancel, in 1827, when it lost its transepts. The 
cross-legged e^gy of the knight in chain mail bears 
the arms of the Hoses. 

Fountain Dale (4 m. S. of Mansfield) is a 
modern house built amid beautiful wooded sur- 
roundings at the source of the Rainworth Water. 
Unfortunately coal mining operations have caused 
the lake to dry up. In the woods is Friar Tuck's 
Cell, Copmanhurst, and if the merry friar chose 

89 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

this site himself, he must have had an eye for 
beauty in nature, for there are few more charming, 
unspoilt pieces of country than that between 
Fountain Dale and Rainworth. It was here that 
Robin Hood first met Friar Tuck and was uncere- 
moniously tumbled into the waters of the moat. 
Sir Walter Scott was a frequent visitor here. 

Gamston (3 m. S. of Retford), which stands on 
the right bank of the Idle, has a church (St Peter) 
with an early Perp. tower, which has few rivals in 
this district. A sepulchral slab of a priest and an 
effigy vested in chasuble, alb, stole and maniple, form 
the objects of interest inside. As early as 1673 the 
Baptists are known to have had a meeting-house here. 

Gamston, a hamlet adjacent to West Bridg- 
ford, is of no interest. 

Gedling (R. Station) is a fair-sized village 
occupying the southern slope of a long hill in the 
valley of the Trent. The church (All Saints) is 
mostly of I3th-cent. date, with the exception of 
the conspicuous tower and spire, which belong to 
the next century. Note the incised slab with its 
curious effigy. In the churchyard are the graves 
of two of the greatest cricketers Notts, has produced 
— Arthur Shrewsbury and Alfred Shaw. 

Girton ( 4 m. N. of Collingham Station ) , though 
once as large as North Collingham, has shrunk to 
small measure. The surrounding country is marshy 
and sandy, and to the east of the main road, both 
north and south of the village, considerable sand dunes 
have been formed by the drift sand from the Trent 
blown by theprevalentsouth-west wind. Thechurch 
(St Cecilia) is a small building (E.E. and Perp.). 

Gonalston (1 m. N.E. of Lowdham), in the 
midst of pleasant scenery and not far from the 

90 



GAMSTON— GRANBY 

Trent, occupies a position by the side of the 
Dover Beck, well sheltered from the north. The 
church (St Lawrence) was almost entirely rebuilt 
in 1852, but still retains its late I3th-cent. chancel. 
In the north aisle of the nave are three effigies of 
the De Heriz family, the old font and stoup. 
Between here and Thurgarton was a hospital, 
called Bradebusk, founded by William de Heriz 
(temp. Henry III.). 

Gotham (3^ m. N.W. of East Leake) has more 
than a passing interest for us, for here is the locale 
of an extremely interesting group of folk tales, 
which deserve more expert examination than they 
have hitherto received. Everyone will be familiar 
with the Merry Tales of Gotham, and know how 
the inhabitants of that village tried to make a hedge 
round a cuckoo that it might sing to them for 
ever. This and many other foolish tales were first 
written down by Andrew Boord, a merry-andrew 
of the 1 6th cent, who came from Sussex. The 
three facts that there is a Gotham, a manor house, 
in Sussex, that Boord owned land thereabouts, 
and that the sea is mentioned in one or more of 
the stories, have led to the theory that these stories 
belong to Sussex. There can be little doubt, 
however, that Notts, has a right to these stories. 
A traditional Cuckoo Hill is still shown, and not 
far away was the meeting-place of the Hundred of 
Rushcliffe. The church (St Lawrence) was 
built chiefly in the 13th and 14th cent., and 
contains some monuments to the St Andrew 
family, some of whom were also buried at West 
Leake. 

Granby (f m. N.E. of Barnston) stands on 
the top of a steep slope, the southern end of an 

9 1 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

escarpment which runs south-south-west from 
Flawborough. The church (All Saints) is but a 
ruin of what it once was and a recent restoration 
has not been able to make it more than presentable. 
The I3th-cent. blocked-up south doorway is good, 
and fourteen old bench ends remain, all of different 
design. Note (i) pulpit, 1629 ; (2) a Perp. east 
window, whose tracery and jambs were composed 
of moulded terra-cotta, was taken down in 1888 
and rebuilt in stone ; (3) the floor slab in 
memory of a sister of Archbishop Seeker. 

The Marquis of Granby is the title taken by the 
eldest son of the Duke of Rutland. 

Greasley (2 \ m. N. of Watnall) is a parish with 
a large but uninteresting church (St Mary), which 
contains a I5th-cent. bell. From the Greasley 
family the manor passed to the Cantilupes, the 
founders of Beauvale Priory, who in 1 34.0 obtained 
permission to fortify their house, which was hence- 
forth known as Greasley Castle, of which traces 
may be seen near the church. This parish is the 
second largest in the county, and out of it several 
ecclesiastical districts have been formed. 

Gringley-on-t he-Hill (3 m. W. of Beckingham) 
is a compact village standing well above the sur- 
rounding country and commanding remarkable 
views in all directions. Close by the church (Sts. 
Peter and Paul), a 12th and 13th cent, structure, 
badly in need of a thorough overhauling, is a good 
example of a village cross, with an octagonal shaft 
and niche. To the east is Beacon Hill where 
traces of a camp remain. The position is unique 
in the county, commanding the approaches for 
thirty miles in all directions, and rendering the 
unseen arrival of an enemy extremely unlikely. 

92 



GREASLEY— HALLOUGHTON 

In 1644 this hill was occupied by Prince Rupert 
prior to his succouring Newark. 

Grove {i\ m. E.S.E. of Retford) is built on 
a steep hill facing south, and possesses a Hall and 
park, in which are many fine trees. The Hall 
was built by the Hercys early in the 16th cent., 
and is now the property of the Harcourt Vernons. 
The church (St Helen) was rebuilt in 1882 from 
the designs of Mr C. Hodgson Fowler, on a site 
to the north of that of its predecessor. Two slabs, 
one of which is to the memory of Hugh Hercy 
and his wife, 1455, alone remain. 

On Castle Hill, between Retford and Grove, 
are extensive earthworks of a hill fortress, to which 
we may assign a pre-Roman date, though probably 
they were in use as lately as the Civil War. 

Grymston. (See Wellozu.) 

Gunthorpe (1 m. S. of Lowdham) lies on the 
north side of a toll-bridge across the Trent. The 
manor was given by Henry III. to Simon de 
Montfort. 

Halam (2 m. W. of Southwell) is placed with 
its back against a steep hill, and has a church (St 
Michael. Medieval Sanctus bell) with a stumpy tower 
which was probably built in the 1 2th cent, though 
it now appears to be of I3th-cent. date. The 
Norman chancel arch is good, and there is a curious 
piscina and some I5th-cent. glass in the chancel. 

Note (1) Elizabethan altar-table; (2) late Re- 
naissance candlesticks; (3) late Norman font and 
Jacobean font-cover. 

Halloughton (ij m. N.W. of Bleasby) is in a 
very retired position in the midst of hilly country, 
and one might pass by frequently without observing 
it. Thanks to guide-books it has been, associated 

93 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

with ghastly and unsavoury stories of a nunnery 
here, underground passages to Thurgarton Priory, 
and infants' skeletons. There never was a nunnery 
here and the lie of the land is not at all favour- 
able to underground passages. The church (Holy 
Trinity) has been almost entirely rebuilt but 
retains its original east end. The 15th -cent, 
screen is good. Opposite the church is a portion 
of the late I4th-cent. house belonging to the 
prebend. In the village is a medieval dovecote. 

Halloughton was a favourite resort of Henry 
Kirk White who, it is said, used to meditate in the 
churchyard. 

Harby (R. Station) is very unapproachable, 
especially from Notts., but it is of much national 
importance, for it was the death-place of one of 
the best of English queens, Eleanor of Castile, 
wife of Edward I. On nth September 1290 
the King and Queen arrived at Harby and stayed 
at the house of Richard de Weston, which is 
believed to have been close to the church. As 
Eleanor was unwell, she remained here while the 
King paid several visits to neighbouring houses. 
On 20th November the King returned to Harby, 
only to find that his wife was far too ill to travel. 
The evening of 27th November saw the end, and 
Edward was left to mourn her of whom he wrote : 
" I loved her tenderly in her lifetime, and I do not 
cease to love her now she is dead." The stages 
of the funeral journey to London were marked by 
the erection of the well-known Eleanor Crosses. 
No trace of that at Harby remains, nor indeed 
does the village contain anything of merit, for the 
church is quite modern. There are memorials of 
the Queen in the church. 

94 



HARBY— HAUGHTON 

Harworth (3 m. S.W. of Bawtiy) is a pleasant 
little red-roofed village, with a church that is some- 
what difficult to find. This church (All Saints) 
has a good Norman chancel arch and a Trans, 
south doorway. Note ( 1 ) the font in the north 
transept; (2) the hagioscope, which has been 
turned round at some time. In this parish is 
Serlby Park and Hall, the residence of Viscount 
Galway. 

Hatfield Chase. (See The Cars?) 

Haughton (5 m. N.W. of Tuxford) is a place 
of associations rather than of sights, for the little 
ruined chapel, standing lonely by the river Meden, 
in its encircling clump of trees, is all that remains 
of the pomp and ceremony that once made the 
name of Haughton known throughout England. 
In Henry VIII. 's reign there was no finer house 
in Notts, than Haughton, which at this period 
passed from the Stanhopes to William Holies, 
Lord Mayor of London, the son of a baker of that 
city. It passed to the Lord Mayor's second son, 
another William, who rebuilt the old house of the 
Stanhopes and lived there in such lavish style that 
his name became a byword for all that was hospit- 
able. This " good Lord of Haughton " kept a 
company of stage players of his own — an unusual 
thing at that time. He was succeeded by his 
grandson, John, a thrifty and learned man, who, 
during the period when the crown was always 
short of money, managed to buy from King James 
and Buckingham the earldom of Clare. He was 
succeeded by his son John who, during the civil 
strife of the first half of the 17th cent., was "often 
of both parties and of no advantage to either." 
It is, however, this John's brother, Denzil, who is 

95 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

best known of all the Holies. He was the intrepid 
fighter who held down the Speaker in his chair 
while the House of Commons passed anti-royal 
resolutions, and who was, later, one of the famous 
five whom the king tried to arrest. In the later 
struggles, Denzil Holies found himself a Presby- 
terian, in opposition to Oliver Cromwell, the leader 
of the Independents. A sojourn on the Continent 
was the result, and when Charles II. came to his 
own, Denzil Holies was created Baron Holies of 
Ifield. He died in 1 679- 1 680. Two generations 
later, the Earl of Clare married the heiress of the 
Cavendishes, and so came into possession of the 
Welbeck estates. A lack of male heirs ended in 
the Welbeck estates passing to the Dukes of Port- 
land, and the Holies estates to the Pelhams, who, 
in 1 71 5, were created Dukes of Newcastle, But 
before this, Haughton had ceased to be the resid- 
ence of the Earl of Clare, for he found Welbeck 
more suited to the needs of a Restoration house 
and allowed his old home to fall into disrepair. 

To-day nothing but a farmhouse marks the site. 
The old chapel is still there, but, alas ! in ruins. 
It was formerly of the Norman style and later 
additions have been made. In the north chapel 
is the effigy of a woman, while outside the south 
door are two more figures, which are becoming 
rapidly effaced. The condition of the effigies no 
doubt gave birth to the tradition that all those 
who were buried here had had their throats cut. 
All the surviving effigies commemorate members 
of the Stanhope family. This little building may 
be reached either by a footpath across the fields 
from Lound Hall, near Bevercotes (£ m.), or by 
first turn to the left after crossing the second bridge 

96 




"# ( > -• V* $| 




HAWTON CHURCH. EASTKK SKl'ULCHKK 



HAUGHTON— HAWTON 

on the road from Bothamsall to Haughton and 
across the fields Q m.). 

Hawksworth (3I m. N. of Aslockton) has a 
church (St Mary and All Saints) which was 
rebuilt in 185 1. It is worth visiting if only for 
the tympanum inscribed as a dedication stone of 
the church and for a so-called " Saxon Cross," 
which has been proved to be the lintel of the 
doorway supporting the tympanum. 

Hawton (2 m. S. of Newark), situated on the 
banks of the little river Devon, possesses a church 
noteworthy among village churches. The nave 
is E.E., the chancel Dec. and the tower Perp. 
In 1330 Sir Robert de Compton built the chancel, 
and was buried in the canopied recess on the 
north side. The builders employed were that 
talented school of craftsmen, who are thought 
to have had their headquarters in this district, 
at Southwell, and to whom we owe the Chapter- 
house in the Minster there. The Easter Sepulchre 
is a remarkable piece of work on account of the 
wealth of its detail and the consummate skill 
displayed in its carving, while the sedilia, piscina, 
and Sir Robert de Compton's tomb are worthy 
companions of the Easter Sepulchre. The tracery 
of the east window should be noticed. Under 
the tower may be seen the casement of the brass 
of Sir Robert de Compton, who died in 1308. 
Had this brass remained it would have been one 
of the earliest dated specimens in England. The 
tower and clerestory were built in 1491 by Sir 
Thomas Molineux of Sefton and Hawton, whose 
arms (the cross molines) are much in evidence. 
The tower door is original, and bears the in- 
scription "Jesu Mercy, Lady Helpe." 

g 97 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Hayton (3I m. N. of East Retford) has a 
church (St Peter) with a beautiful I3th-cent. 
nave arcade and an interesting 1/j.th-cent. south 
porch, with one of the stone roofs so common 
in these parts. From the hills to the east of 
Hayton a very extensive view may be had. 
There is said to have been a castle here, but 
no trace except the name remains. 

Headon (3^ m. S.E. of Retford) belonged to 
the Wasteneys family from the reign of Edward 
III. Sir Hardolph Wasteneys rebuilt the Hall 
in 1 7 10, but it was taken down shortly before 
1800. One or two of the seven fine avenues 
of trees which converged on the Hall may still 
be seen between Headon and Grove. The 
church (St Peter) was restored in 1885, when 
the north and south aisles were shortened. The 
nave was built in the 13 th cent. There is a 
good Jacobean pulpit with a canopy and an old 
oak chest. 

Hemlock Stone, (See Bramcote and Physical 
Features,) 

Hexgrave Park, (See Farnsjield.) 

Hickling (2 m. N.E. of Upper Broughton) is 
a large village penned into the south-west corner 
of the valley of the Smite. The church (St 
Wilfrid) was chiefly built in the 13th cent. The 
tower has been rebuilt, and the chancel is modern. 
In the south aisle is a pre-Norman carved sar- 
cophagus lid, considered to be one of the finest 
hitherto found in England. Built into the ex- 
terior of the west wall of the south aisle is a 
I3th-cent. coffin slab, with a foliated cross of 
unusally rich design carved in relief. In the 
chancel is one of the two brasses to ecclesiastics 

98 



HAYTON— HOLME 

which remain in the county. During the early 
1 8th cent, an artist in tombstones lived here, 
to judge by the number of stones of considerable 
beauty of lettering, which are in the churchyard. 
The letters are nearly always carved in relief. 
One epitaph at least deserves quotation. It is 
dated 1725, and is in memory of one John 
Smith : 

" This world's a city full of crooked streets, 
Death is ye market-place where all men meets, 
If life were merchandise yt men cold buy, 
The rich would often live and poor men die." 

Note (1) I4th-cent. wrought - iron hinges on 
south door ; (2) a few poppyhead bench ends. 

Hockerton (3 m. E. of Kirklington). The 
church (St Nicholas) shows several Norman 
windows and a chancel arch of the same date. 
The recess and niche on the south side of the 
altar are worthy of notice. Note (1) stoup in 
porch; (2) bench end 1599 under the tower. 

Hodsock is the name given to the scattered 
houses in the district to the south-west of Blyth. 
Hodsock Priory, the home of Colonel Mellish, 
was never a priory. It belonged to the Cressy 
and Clifton families. Nothing but the brick 
gatehouse (c. 1500) remains of the old Hall. 

Holme (4 m. N. of Newark) belongs territori- 
ally to the I western bank of the Trent, though now 
it lies on the east of the river. This is explained 
by the statement that at some date previous to 
1575 the Trent changed its course. The church 
(St Giles) has a very ancient look, but this is 
really due to neglect. Though there are remains 
of the E.E. and Dec. periods, the main structure 

99 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

is of the 15 th and 16th cents. Note (1) the 
tomb of John Barton and his wife, who rebuilt 
the church and to whom the " fair chapel " is 
due (end of 15th cent.); (2) the two-storeyed 
south porch with the seven coats-of-arms across 
the front. The chamber over the porch is known 
as " Nan Scott's Chamber," after an old woman 
who is reputed to have dwelt there to escape the 
plague in the 17th cent. ; (3) the 15th -cent, 
bench ends. 

Holme Pierrepont (4 m. E. of Nottingham) is 
very pleasantly situated among wooded surround- 
ings, but comprises little more than the church, 
the Hall, and a few farms. Tradition asserts — 
and we have records to support this tradition — 
that the Trent has changed its course near Holme 
Pierrepont, and that at one time this hamlet was 
on the north bank of the river. The church (St 
Edmund), though restored in the pseudo-classical 
style, still retains the E.E. nave arcade and late 
Perp. tower. The Pierrepont and Manvers tombs 
are the most interesting features of the interior. 
Note the mural tablet, opposite the south door, 
to the poet Oldham, once domestic chaplain to 
the Earl of Kingston, who wrote the Latin 
epitaph. The Hall, which used to be the 
residence of the Earls of Kingston, is close to 
the church. It was frequently visited by Lord 
Byron. It is at present unoccupied. A very 
pleasant walk may be taken by leaving Notting- 
ham by the right bank of the Trent and con- 
tinuing until the lockhouse is reached, whence 
a field-path leads into the road about f m. from 
Holme Pierrepont. 

Hoveringham (i£ m. S. of Thurgarton) is a 

ICO 




HOLME CHURCH. S. PORCH 



H. PIERREPONT— HOVERINGHAM 

village on the north bank of the Trent, much 
visited by excursionists on account of the beauty 
of the river, which here flows between wooded 
hills on the south and rich meadows on the 
north. 

In 1865 the old church was destroyed and the 
present brick church built. Three features of the 
old building have survived and are worthy of 
notice — the font, the Norman tympanum and 
the Goushill tomb. The font, which is a patch- 
work of the E.E. and Norman periods, appears 
to have been originally a holy-water stoup — per- 
haps from Thurgarton Priory. The tympanum 
represents St Michael defending the Church (the 
Agnus Dei) from its enemies (dragons), while the 
Dextera Dei issues from the sky. On one side stands 
St Peter dressed as a bishop, and on the other 
an ecclesiastic. The Goushill tomb is interesting 
on account of the curious history of Sir Robert 
Goushill and his wife. This lady, Elizabeth, was 
the daughter of Richard Fitzalan, the fourteenth 
Earl of Arundel, who, with several others, was 
accused of high treason and beheaded in 1397. 
Among her father's accusers was Thomas Mow- 
bray, Earl of Nottingham, and afterwards first 
Duke of Norfolk, and Elizabeth, after the death 
of her first husband, William de Montacute, 
married him. In 1398 arose the quarrel between 
Henry of Hereford (afterwards Henry IV.) and 
Thomas Mowbray, which resulted in both being 
banished. Mowbray left his esquire, Robert 
Goushill, to look after his estates, and when, in 
1400, the duke died the duchess married this 
Robert Goushill, who was murdered after the 
battle of Shrewsbury, 1403. Before her death, 

IOI 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

in 1425, Elizabeth had married for the fourth 
time. She is represented at Hoveringham in her 
peeress' mantle and ducal coronet beside her 
husband, who is in full armour. It is not known, 
however, whether she was really buried here. 

Hucknall Torkard (R. Station) is the fifth largest 
town in the county, with a population of 17,000. 
It is largely dependent on the surrounding col- 
lieries. The church (St Mary Magdalene and All 
Saints) has little except its late I2th-cent. tower 
to show us its history, though the south porch and 
some incised sepulchral slabs are of interest. Here 
is the tomb of Lord Byron, a shrine visited by 
many every year. The funeral took place on 16th 
July 1 824, a long procession escorting the poet's re- 
mains from Nottingham. (See 'Nottingham?) There 
is a marble floor tablet presented by the King of 
Greece. It was once the custom of the sexton to 
allow visitors to see the coffin, but this practice 
has, fortunately, been forbidden. 

Hucknall-under-Hathwaite (1 m. S.E. of 
Whiteborough Station), now known simply as 
Huthwaite, is connected with Sutton-in-Ashfield 
by a service of electric trams. There are few 
more depressingly sordid places in the count}' than 
this, which stands close to the highest point (654 
ft.) reached within our borders. From this height 
a wide view may be had in a westerly direction. 

Huthwaite. (See Hucknall-undcr-Hiithwaltc?) 

Kelham (2 m. N.W. of Newark) is reached by 
a modern bridge across the Trent, whose course 
here is comparatively modern, to judge by the 
scarcity of alluvial deposit near the bridge. The 
old Hall was destroyed by fire in 1 8 5 7 and the present 
one designed by Sir Gilbert Scott. It used to be 

102 



HUCKNALL TORKARD— KINGSTON 

the seat of the Manners Sutton family, but is now 
a college of priests. The church (St Wilfrid) is 
of little interest. It was near Kelham that the 
Scottish army was encamped when, on 6th May 
1646, Charles I. surrendered himself. 

Keyworth ( 1^ m. S. of Plumtree) stands on the 
top of a hill and commands considerable views of 
the surrounding country, which is well wooded. 
The most noticeable feature is the church tower, 
on which is superimposed an octagonal stone lan- 
tern surmounted by a short spire. The arrange- 
ment of the buttresses and windows is striking. 
The church, which is dedicated to St Mary 
Magdalene, has an unusual ground-plan. The 
nave was built in the 14th cent, and the chancel 
in the 13th cent., while the tower is I5th-cent. 
work. Note the low-side window. 

Kilvington {z\ m. S. of Cotham) consists of but 
a few cottages and a church, which contains 
nothing of interest except a medieval chalice and 
paten dug up in 1897. The altar-table is prob- 
ably Elizabethan. This church was disused in 
the first half of last century. In 1 843 the fabric 
was on sale for its materials. However it was 
rebuilt in 1892. 

Adjacent is Alverton, a place of no interest. 

Kimberley (R. Station), though almost a town, 
is only of recent growth and depends largely on 
breweries and collieries for its existence. No 
trace of the old church remains, the ancient 
rectory having been united to the benefice of 
Greasley in 1448. The present church was built 
in 1847. 

Kingshaugh. (See T>arlton!) 

Kingston-on-Soar (f m. N. of Kegworth Station) 

103 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

is small, well built and by no means devoid of 
beauty, which it owes largely to the first Lord 
Belper. The Hall, the residence of this family, 
is a modern house, built shortly after the estate 
came into the possession of its present owners. 
The church (St Wilfrid), which was almost en- 
tirely rebuilt during 1899- 1900, is of the late 
Perp. style. The Babington Chantry is a re- 
markable piece of decorative work, without its 
equal for richness in the county. No trace of the 
tomb remains, nor does any inscription tell us to 
whom this monument was erected, yet the fre- 
quent occurrence of the rebus " Babe-in-Tun" (it 
is said that there are two hundred of these babes 
and tuns) can leave no doubt as to the identity of 
owners. The exterior of this chantry, with its 
oriel window, is a charming piece of work. One 
member, at least, of the Babington family has 
handed his name down to posterity. Anthony 
Babington, a hot-headed youth of eighteen, and a 
Catholic to boot, came to London in 1580 and 
stoutly espoused the cause of Mary Queen of 
Scots, in whose favour he led a conspiracy five 
years later. The discovery of this led to his 
flight and, says local tradition, concealment on 
the top of the big tomb. He was arrested and 
executed in London. 

Kinoulton (2 m. N.E. of Widmerpool Station) 
is a long straggling village of somewhat mean ap- 
pearance, with a church (St Luke) built in 1793 
to replace one which stood on Kinoulton Wolds, 
near the Fosse Way. Of this old church the out- 
line can still be traced. Tradition has it that the 
Archbishop of York once had a residence here, and 
it may be due to this that the vicar had, until 1858, 

1 04 



KINOULTON— KIRTON 

the right of proving the wills of his parishioners. 
On the Colston Basset side of Kinoulton was the 
village of Newbold, of which all trace has been lost. 

Kirkby (R. Station) is now composed of three 
villages : Kirkby-in-Ashfield, perched on a hill, 
East Kirkby, or, as it used to be called, Kirkby 
Folly, and Kirkby Woodhouse. The two latter 
are modern. Kirkby-in-Ashfield is not a very 
beautiful place to-day, but until 1907 it possessed 
a most interesting church (St Wilfrid), which, how- 
ever, early in that year, was destroyed by an in- 
cendiary, so that little except the tower and spire 
remained. It has been rebuilt, but nearly all that 
was interesting has perished. The stump of the 
village cross can be seen. 

Kirklington (R. Station) has a very picturesque 
millpool spanned by a bridge between the station 
and the village. The church (St Swithun) is of 
little interest. There is a Norman font and some 
old glass. In "English Church Furniture" (Cox 
and Harvey) the following reference is made to 
the pulpit here : — " In the pulpit sides are some 
holes filled up with more recent wood. The ex- 
planation is that a sporting rector of the beginning 
of the 19th cent, used to have this pulpit, which 
was loose from its base, carried down on weekdays 
to a swamp in the parish frequented by wild duck, 
where it served as a screen for the parson when 
firing at the birds through the holes made for that 
purpose." 

Kirton (1 m. N. of Bough ton) is situated on 
the western slope of a somewhat steep hill in a very 
secluded part of the county. The church (Holy 
Trinity) is of no particular merit. There are 
stone seats round the piers of the nave arcade. 

105 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Kneesall (5 m. S.E. of Ollerton) occupies a 
very exalted position, far from all noise and bustle. 
The church (St Helen) has a Dec. nave with 
small seats round the piers of both arcades. The 
tower is 143 5-1450. Note (1) old wooden 
benches; (2) part of Saxon cross; (3) gar- 
goyles. 

Kneeton (5 m. N.W. of Bingham) stands right 
on the top of a steep cliff which overhangs the 
Trent, opposite to Hoveringham, and commands 
splendid views in this direction. The church (Sts 
Peter and Paul) is not worth visiting. There is a 
ferry over the river at this point. Originally this 
village spelt its name Kneveton, but it was pro- 
nounced as it is now spelt. This dropping of 
medial " v's " in pronunciation is the rule in Notts. 

Lambley (2I m. N.E. of Carlton Station, 3 m. 
W. of Lowdham, the latter is pleasanter) is a 
straggling and rather sordid village, lying in a 
hollow among the hills, with a small stream flowing 
beside the street. The big, broad windows of 
many of the cottages show that once a large 
stocking-making industry was carried on here ; but 
now comparatively few of the machines remain ; 
and it is only occasionally that their clicking and 
rasping noise can be heard, or that the large green 
globe, filled with water, through which the light 
is concentrated on to the work, may be seen. Now- 
adays a large number of the inhabitants are colliers, 
employed at the neighbouring Digby Colliery. 
The church (Holy Trinity) is an interesting 
example of Perp. work, for all but the tower ( 1 3 th- 
cent.), with a base course and upper stage of late 
I4th-cent. date, and the north wall of the chancel 
(1370-1380), belong to the reign of Henry VI., 

106 



KNEESALL— LANGAR 

when they were erected by Ralph de Cromwell, 
Lord High Treasurer, whose badge, a purse, may 
be seen at the east end. Note (i) screen of 
this date ; ( 2 ) fragments of old glass ; ( 3 ) the 
squint from the two-storeyed chantry chapel, be- 
lieved to have been founded by the sixth Ralph de 
Cromwell in 1340 ; (4) inscribed communion- 
table, 16 19. Lambley Dumbles, a series of small, 
steep-sided ravines, watered by the Cocker Beck, 
were once renowned for their beauty. For a 
cyclist, the pleasantest way to reach Lambley from 
Nottingham is to ride along the Mapperley Plains 
— a road commanding extensive views on both 
sides. 

Laneham (4 m. N. of Fledborough) is situated 
on some low-lying ground a little distance from the 
Trent. Here was once a palace of the Archbishops 
of York. The church (St Peter) will be found in 
the little hamlet of Church Laneham. A building 
full of interest, it stands on the bank overlooking 
the broad flowing river, along which frequent 
heavily laden barges pass. There is a large amount 
of " herring-bone " masonry in the walls, and the 
south doorway and the chancel arch are of 12th- 
cent. date. The nave, of three bays, was built in 
the 13th cent., and the graceful design of the piers 
and caps cannot fail to please. Note ( 1 ) the 
old wooden door with ironwork ; ( 2 ) the wooden 
porch; (3) the Norman font; (4) the tomb of 
Ellis Markham and Jervase, his son ; ( 5 ) the pulpit 
inscribed " Soli Deo honor et gloria." 

Langar (i£ m. S.W. of Barnston) is sometimes 
described as being one of the deserted villages of 
Notts. It is small now, and the roads by which it 
is approached from all sides are not at all good. 

107 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

The church (St Andrew) is quite one of the most 
pleasing in this part of the county, notwithstanding 
the fact that it has been largely rebuilt and that the 
woodwork which it once possessed has been re- 
moved to a neighbouring manor house. The nave 
arcades are good late E.E. work. The chief point 
of interest is the tombs. In the north transept 
are the fine i6th-cent. tombs of the Chaworth 
family, while in the south transept are the large 
monument to Lord Scrppe of Bolton and his wife, 
and to Admiral Lord Howe, the hero of the Battle 
of "The First of June" 1793. The transepts are 
enclosed by wooden screens. The beautiful tower 
has been much altered during the last two centuries. 
Note Jacobean pulpit. Not far from Langar was 
the Church of St Ethelburga, the site of which has 
been lost. It was of some note as a place of 
pilgrimage. 

Langford (3 m. N. of Newark) is a hamlet by 
the side of the Midland Railway. The church 
(St Bartholomew) appears to belong to the early 
1 6th cent., with the exception of its I3th-cent. 
tower. There was formerly a north aisle and 
some kind of an addition to the chancel on this 
side, the fine entrance arch to which remains. 
Note (1) I5th-cent. effigy in chancel; (2) nave 
roof. Near the church is the Tudor manor house, 
now a farm, the property of Lord Middleton. 

Laxton (3 m. S. of Tuxford G.C.R. Station) 
takes a premier place among the villages of Notts., 
both on account of its old-worldness and of its 
interest to the antiquary. Here the open three- 
field system of culture is still used, and every year 
two of the three fields, which are called West Field, 
Mill Field, and South Field, are cultivated while 

108 






LANGFORD— LAXTON 

the third remains fallow. About half-a-mile to 
the north of the village (approached by the grass 
lane to the north of the church) are the mounds 
and outcropping masonry of some large mansion — 
almost certainly the castle of the Everinghams, the 
premier Lords of Laxton, and Hereditary Cus- 
todians of the Forests of the North, until about 
1300 — now known as "the Old Hall grounds." 
Probably there was an encampment here long 
before the Everinghams built their castle, but 
nothing is known for certain. The church (St 
Michael) was almost rebuilt in i860, and unfor- 
tunately on a smaller scale, for the tower was erected 
one bay more to the east, and the north and south 
walls within the outline of the former building. 
The nave arcades were built about 1200 and the 
fine clerestory was the work of Archbishop Rother- 
ham (1480- 1 500), whose figure appears on the 
north battlements. The E.E. chancel was con- 
siderably altered in the 14th and again in the 16th 
cent. Here will be seen an Easter Sepulchre, a 
sedilia and a double piscina, and a low-side window 
in a very unusual position at the east end of the 
south wall. The effigies are of great interest, and 
we are able to identify them, thanks to the labours 
of Mr W. Stevenson. It should be understood 
that though the chapel on the north side belonged 
to the Lexingtons and that on the south to the 
Everinghams, all the effigies belong to the latter 
family. The three Everingham effigies on the 
north side have been put upon a tomb of the 
Lexingtons and we would draw attention to the 
resemblance of the angels on this tomb to those in 
the famous Angel Choir at Lincoln, which was 
begun during the episcopate of Henry of Lexing- 

109 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

ton. The beautiful marble, in which two of these 
three effigies are carved, is worthy of admiration. 
It came from Aubigny in France and was probably 
carved before it was brought over. The wooden 
effigy is unique in this county. Edward I. and 
Queen Eleanor were at Laxton for a few days just 
before the latter's death. To the south of the 
church are traces of further earthworks. William 
Chappell, Bishop of Cork and Ross, was born here. 
(See Bilsthorpe.) 

Leake, East (R. Station), is a pleasant village 
lying in a hollow of the South Wolds of Notts. 
on the G.C.R. between Nottingham and Lough- 
borough. The church is of considerable interest. 
For the most part of E.E. work, there yet re- 
main traces of the Norman period, in the north 
wall of the nave, though this work may even be 
of pre-Conquest date. The chancel was enlarged 
about 1350, and the fine reticulated east window 
must be attributed to this date. Note ( 1 ) 
east window of south aisle; (2) the E.E. font; 
(3) poppyhead seats of the 15th cent, and 
rudely carved bench ends dated 161 2 ; (4) the 
" Shawm " ; this trumpet, which measures 7 ft. 
9 in. when extended and 4 ft. 1 in. when closed, 
is the best of the five remaining examples in 
England. Till about 1855 it was used within the 
church for the bass singer to " vamp " through ; 
( 5 ) the chained book, U The Dippers dipt or the 
Anabaptists Duck'd and Plung'd over Head and 
Eares," by Daniel Featley, D.D., 1645. There 
is a story that when, in 1745, the Young Pretender 
was approaching Derby, the farmers of the 
Derwent and Soar Valleys, fearing for the safety 
of their cattle, drove them south to the shelter of 

1 10 



LEAKE, EAST— LENTON 

the Leake Hills, where they remained until the 
danger was passed. 

Leake, West (i^ m. W. of East Leake), has an 
interesting church with an extremely long nave of 
five bays. There are three early and very interest- 
ing effigies in the church. 

Lenton (R. Station) — the south-west portion of 
the city of Nottingham — shows no trace now 
that it was once the site of one of the great 
monasteries of England. This priory was founded 
by William Peveril about 1105, and soon became 
of great importance and wealth. However, it 
fell into debt about 1536, and in the next year 
its prior, Nicholas Heyth, appears to have taken 
a part in the Pilgrimage of Grace, for which he 
and some of his monks suffered death. Lenton 
was the site of a great fair, which lasted for 
twelve days, during which time no markets could 
be held in Nottingham. In the priory church 
are some traces — very slight — of old work and the 
bases of two columns remain in a neighbouring 
coalyard ; but the most interesting relic is the 
magnificent Norman font, now in New Lenton 
church. This font, which has not its peer in the 
country, is carved on four sides and the top. The 
north side has on it a large floriated cross, the 
east a representation of the Baptism, and the south 
one of the Crucifixion. The west side is divided 
into four panels, the interpretation of the subjects 
carved on them having been much disputed. 
The upper right-hand panel shows either the 
Burial and the Resurrection (it was not un- 
common to depict two scenes in the same 
carving), or the Raising of Lazarus, the upper 
left-hand panel the Ascension, while below the 

1 in 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Three Maries and the Church of the Sepulchre 
are seen. 

Leverton, North (R. Station), is built on the 
eastern slope of the hills which lie between the 
Trent and the Idle. The church (St Martin), 
which is not interesting inside, has a late Dec. 
chancel and a south aisle built c. 1300. It is 
approached by a foot-bridge across a little stream 
and through a shady avenue of trees. 

Leverton, South (R. Station), adjoins North 
Leverton. The spacious church (All Saints) has 
some fine I3th-cent. work in the nave arcades. 
The chancel was rebuilt in 1865. The aisle 
windows are good examples of I4th-cent. work. 
Note (1) the Norman tub font; (2) the 
richly ornamented south doorway. 

Linby (R. Station) was once as pretty a village 
as one could find in the county, but now its 
beauty is a thing of the past, and modernism has 
come in its most conspicuously obnoxious form — 
to wit, collieries and railways. The little streams 
flow polluted and muddy through the street, and 
the maypole is but a memory. The top and 
bottom of the village are marked each by a cross, 
mounted on steps. That at the lower end of the 
street is unrestored and marks a spring, and may 
be one of the Sherwood Forest boundary marks. 
Near the top cross, with its restored shaft, stood 
the maypole until recent years. The church (St 
Michael) has little to attract the visitor. The 
I2th-cent. north doorway is sheltered by a porch 
built in 1548, and in it is a squint, whose raison- 
(Tetre is not easy to understand, indeed we should 
be tempted to believe that it is not in its original 
position. 

1 12 



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LENTON CHURCH. THE FONT 



LEVERTON, NORTH— LOWDHAM 

Littleborough (2 m. N. of Cot tarn Station) is 
a historic site notwithstanding its small size. At 
this point on the Trent Till Bridge Lane, a Roman 
road connecting Doncaster and Lincoln crossed 
the river, and here the Romans had their station. 
Agelocum or Segelocum. A century or so ago 
travellers record the existence of masonry, but 
nowadays all that bears witness to its past is the 
occasional upturning by the plough of coins of 
Roman date. In the bed of the river to this day 
are the stones of the ford which was first made in the 
days of Hadrian, and over which much of the traffic 
between the north and south of England passed. In 
1066 Harold, hastening southwards to his death at 
Battle, crossed the river here, and two years later 
his conqueror most probably passed this way on 
his journey from York to secure Lincoln. This 
ford is no longer in use, and there is no regular 
ferry. The church (St Nicholas) is a tiny 
Norman building, whose masonry is largely 
decorated with herring-bone work. Note the use 
of Roman tiles. Travellers will do well to note 
that there is now no inn in the village. 

Lound. (See Sutton-cum-Lound.) 

Lowdham (R. Station) is a large scattered 
village by the side of the Cocker Beck. Its church 
(St Mary) lies in a secluded position to the north- 
west of the village. The late I2th-cent. tower, 
once separated from the body of the church, the 
two bays of the early I3th-cent. chancel and the 
graceful I3th-cent. nave should be noted. Con- 
siderable alterations were carried out in the 14th 
cent., and within modern times the church has 
not come off scathless. Note (1) I4th-cent. 
font; (2) low-side window; (3) effigy of Sir 

H 113 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

John de Lowdham, to whom we probably owe the 
I3th-cent. chancel ; (4) the unusual arrangement 
of the vestments of the priest on the incised slab 
in the south wall of the chancel. Near the 
church is the old Hall, traditionally known as 
Broughton Hall, a picturesque timber house of 
early 1 7th-cent. date. A small moated site remains 
in the grounds. The country to the north of 
Lowdham in the direction of Epperstone is of 
great charm and beauty. 

Mansfield (R. Station), "a praty market 
town," as Leland calls it, though he would prob- 
ably modify his statement were he to visit it now, 
derives its name from the little river Maun, which 
flows through it, "and there runneth in the 
middle of it a rille." Its proximity to Sherwood 
Forest has given Mansfield the dignity of being a 
royal manor, for when kings were bent on hunting 
they frequently visited this " praty " town. Like 
many other places in the county it claims to have 
been a Roman station, and indeed considerable 
remains have been found in the neighbourhood. 
Nor did the ancient ballad-maker forget it, for 
have we not the ballad of "The King and the Miller 
of Mansfield " ? The church (St Peter) is not of 
great interest and may be best described as 
" mixed." All that there is to know may be 
learnt from the admirable plans provided in the 
church — an example we would bring to the notice 
of other incumbents, Mansfield has been the 
birthplace of many well-known men, from William 
de Mansfield, who about 1320 was renowned for 
his knowledge of " logic, ethics, physics and meta- 
physics," to Archbishop Sterne, grandfather of the 
more famous Laurence Sterne. Dodsley the 

114 



I ^ 




TOP CROSS, LINBY 
( Showing Maypole }iow destroyed) 



MANSFIELD— MAPLEBECK 

publisher, Hayman Rooke the antiquary, and last, 
but not least, James Murray, who invented the 
circular saw in 1790 in a factory in Bath Lane. 
This James Murray was the son of " Old Joe 
Murray," Lord Byron's servant. 

Two more facts in connection with the church 
must be mentioned. In 1669 George Mompes- 
son, son of the heroic Rector of Eyam (see Eak- 
ring) became Vicar of St Peter's, and during his 
tenure the church appears 10 have become a sort 
of Gretna Green. The following inscription to 
the memory of Margaret Meymott is worthy of 
quotation : — "Remarkable in that she departed this 
life on the same day in which her beloved and 
justly admired sovereign Queen Anne, of pious me- 
mory, changed her earthly crown for a more exceed- 
ing weight of glory, which was August 1st. 17 14." 
After all we must not blame Mrs Meymott. 

Mansfield Woodhouse (\\ m. N. of Mansfield) 
is soon destined to be spoilt, as so many villages to 
the south of that town have already been spoilt, 
by the advent of collieries. The church (St Ed- 
mund), which was almost entirely rebuilt in 1847, 
is one of the worst-lighted churches we have ever 
seen. The tower and spire, which are of a de- 
sign almost unknown in this county, were built 
after a fire which destroyed the church in 1 304. 
In the 14th cent, some land was held here by a 
family called Wolfhunt by the service of blowing 
a horn to scare the wolves in the forest. 

Maplebeck (5 m. N. of Kirklington) clusters at 
the foot of a hill beside a little stream, which, 
like so many in the county, is nameless. Numer- 
ous remains have been found here pointing to a 
settlement at some early date. The church (St 

"5 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Radegund) has a small spire and a wooden porch. 
There is a iyth-cent. screen of poor design. Note 
the four small pillars on the north wall. 

Markham, East (2 m. N. of Tuxford), is situated 
on the watershed ridge of the Trent and Idle, in a 
district famous for its plum orchards and pic- 
turesque with numerous windmills. The Mark- 
ham family has produced many famous men. 
Pride of place among them is taken by Sir John 
Markham, the great judge, who drew up the legal 
document deposing Richard II. , and who, in the 
next reign, is claimed to have been the judge who 
rebuked Prince Hal for his riotous behaviour, an 
honour which has usually been given to Judge 
Gascoigne. His tomb is in the chancel of the 
church, which is dedicated to St John the Baptist. 
The building is chiefly Perp. in style. Note : 
(1) the figure on the tower, probably intended 
for St John the Baptist ; (2) the font, 1686, with 
its elaborate cover; (3) the brass of Dame Mili- 
cent Meryng, second wife of Judge Markham ; 
(4) the screen ; (5) the stairway to the rood- 
loft which has been used as a chimney. There is 
a memorial window to Mrs Penrose, the author 
of " Mrs Markham's History of England. 5 ' She 
was the daughter of Dr Edmund Cartwright, who 
invented the power loom in 1786. (See Fled- 
borough?) 

Markham Clinton or West Markham (2 m. N. 
of Tuxford) has a church which is disused and will 
soon be in ruins. Inside are an effigy and a fine 
Norman font, which ought to be moved to the 
Mausoleum near Milton. (Keys at the vicarage 
near the Mausoleum.) 

Marnham (3 m. N. of Crow Park Station) is 

116 



MARKHAM, EAST— MILTON 

composed of the two hamlets of Low Marnham 
and High Marnham. Here is a church (St Wil- 
frid) with a beautiful I3th-cent. nave arcade and 
north chancel arcade. 

Mattersey (3 m. E. of Ranskill) is picturesquely 
grouped on the south bank of the Idle, which is 
here crossed by an old stone bridge (note masons' 
marks) built by the canons of the Priory, the whole 
forming a charming picture. The church (All 
Saints) is of no interest except for the two stone 
carvings, discovered in 1804, representing St 
Helen rinding the Cross, and St Martin dividing 
his cloak. These stones are now built into the 
wall of the vestry. The Priory ( \ m.) is reached 
by a rough lane which leaves the main road to the 
south of the church. Hardly anything remains 
except a part of what was either the refectory or 
the undercroft, a small portion of a cloister and 
the south-east corner of the church. The position 
chosen by Roger de Mattersey in 1185 for this 
house — the only Gilbertine house in Notts. — ex- 
hibits the skill usually shown in choosing sites for 
such foundations, for it stands in an angle of the 
river Idle, but well above the reach of floods. At 
the time of its foundation it is said to have stood 
on an island. This small house, dedicated to 
St Helen, was suppressed in 1538. Thomas 
Norman, the last prior, became master of the 
Grammar School founded at Malton, Yorks., in 
1546. The property was given to Sir Anthony 
Neville, from whom it passed to the Hickmans. 

Mering. (See Sutton-on-Trent.) 

Milton (3 m. N. of Tuxford) is a hamlet at- 
tached to Markham Clinton. The large Mauso- 
leum built by the Duke of Newcastle in 1 8 3 1 in 

117 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

memory of his wife, and containing memorials of 
this noble family, is used as the church for Mark- 
ham Clinton. It was designed by Sir R. Smirke 
in the Classic style, but it is not a pleasing piece 
of work. 

Misson (3 m. N.E. of Bawtry) stands in an 
isolated position in the midst of fenlike land. 
The church has a stoup. 

Misterton (R. Station) is a very straggling 
village with a spired church, a rather unusual 
feature in the north of Notts. The spire is E.E., 
and the interior contains some beautiful work of 
the same period ; notably the arch which faces us 
as we enter by the south door. The dogtooth 
and two-leaved ornament of this arch should be 
noted. The nave arcade is of the 15 th cent. 
Some of the smaller details of the building are 
worthy of attention. The traveller should not 
fail to go a short distance along the road towards 
Walkeringham, whence there is an extensive view 
across the Cars, a flat, marshy piece of land stretch- 
ing from Everton and Gringley-on-the-Hill away 
northwards into Yorkshire. 

Morton (^ m. N. of Fiskerton) has a modern 
brick church which serves the two villages. 

Muskham, North (3 m. N. of Newark), is a very 
long village, straggling on the west bank of the 
Trent, which is said, on the unsupported authority 
of Thoroton, to have changed its course at this 
point about 1600, for, whereas it formerly flowed 
between Holme and Langford, it now flows 
between Holme and North Muskham, a change 
which necessitated the formation of the separate 
parish of Holme. The very interesting church 
(St Wilfrid) is of the 14th and 15th cent. only. 



MISSON— NEWARK 

The north aisle was probably added by the Bartons, 
whose arms appear on the buttresses, and to whom 
Holme church owes so much. Note (i) 15th- 
cent. screen, in excellent repair, roof of nave and 
aisles, and other woodwork ; (2) font, 1662 ; 
(3) the curious pyramidal alabaster memorial in 
the chancel, on which may be read that " Heare 
lieth ye corp of Jhon Smithe Meate for Wormes 
to fede therwith," who died in 1583. The other 
three sides are inscribed with the conditions of his 
will ; (4) remains of cross and stocks at the north 
end of the village. 

Muskham, South (2 m. N. of Newark), is joined 
to Newark by the Great North Road, which for 
the greater part of the way passes over the arches 
built in 1770 by John Smeaton, the engineer of the 
Eddystone Lighthouse, to raise the road above the 
level of the floods which used frequently to obstruct 
the great flow of traffic passing along this highway. 
The church (St Wilfrid) exhibits traces of herring- 
bone work in the masonry of the north chancel 
wall. The north door represents the 12th cent, 
and the two lower storeys of the tower and the 
chancel belong to the 13th cent. The nave and 
the third storey of the tower date from the succeed- 
ing century. During the 1 5 th cent, the top storey, 
with its fine windows, was added to the tower. 
In the western window note the figure of a bishop, 
believed to be intended for St Wilfrid, 

Nettleworth Hall. (See War sop,) 

Newbold. (See Kinoulton.) 

Newark (R. Station, Midland and Great 
Northern) is a busy market town of some 16,000 
inhabitants, retaining much of its quaintness and 
possessing a history second to none in the county 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

and a parish church which can claim equality with 
the Minster at Southwell, some seven miles away. 
Lying 20 m. to the north-east of Nottingham, 
Newark has a very similar geographical position 
to that town ; both are situated on an important 
road running north and south, and the Trent flows 
by both, rendering them important distributing 
centres in medieval days. Large quantities of 
wool were taken from Newark by water to Boston 
whence it was conveyed to Calais, the boats 
returning to Newark with cargoes of wine and 
cloth. This water trade received a fresh impetus 
with the construction of canals, and large amounts 
of malt, grain and flour were distributed through 
the Midlands. Nowadays malting and the manu- 
facture of plaster of Paris are the chief industries. 

It is not certain, though extremely probable, 
that there was a Roman station at Newark ; at 
any rate the Fosse Way passes through the town, 
making it of great importance in the days of stage 
coaches — an importance which is to some extent 
reviving in these days of motor cars. Destroyed 
by the Danes, Newark was rebuilt and received its 
present name in the reign of Edward the Confessor, 
when the manor was in the possession of Leofric, 
Earl of Mercia, and of his wife Godiva who gave 
it to the monastery of Stow near Lincoln. In 
Stephen's reign it was held by Bishop Alexander 
of Lincoln who, much to that monarch's disgust, 
built a strong castle and suffered imprisonment 
until he saw fit to resign this and other fortresses 
of his to that unstable king. John, during whose 
reign Newark changed hands several times, came 
to the castle in October 12 16 to die at the 
moment when he seemed about to make some 

120 



NEWARK 

headway against his barons. From the reign of 
Henry III. to that of Henry VIII. Newark was 
owned by the bishops of Lincoln, but soon after 
it had become crown property Edward VI. in- 
corporated it under an alderman and twelve 
assistants, who in 1625 were replaced by a mayor, 
twelve aldermen and a recorder, which number 
of aldermen was reduced in 1835 to six. A visit 
from Wolsey in 1530, followed by some slight 
interest in the risings then prevalent in Lincoln- 
shire, and a visit from James I. in 1603, fill in 
the period which brings us to the great event 
in Newark's history. The Civil War found it 
uncompromisingly Royalist. Nothing could shake 
the faith of this " Loyal Borough " — the key to 
the north — and three sieges only brought con- 
fusion to the Parliamentarians and honour to the 
citizens of Newark. The importance of this town 
to the king may be easily understood. Its pos- 
session enabled the communications between the 
north and the south to be kept open, while at 
the same time the garrison could keep an eye 
on the Nottingham Parliamentarian garrison and 
attack them when opportunity occurred. From 
1 642- 1 644 various onslaughts were made on the 
town at frequent intervals, but it was not until 
Sir John Meldrum besieged it in the latter year 
that there was really any danger of the town 
being taken, but even then a timely and char- 
acteristically impetuous charge by Prince Rupert 
raised the siege and saved the town. In 1645 
Lord Bellasis was appointed governor, and 
towards the end of that year the town was 
beleaguered by the English and Scottish forces. 
Again Newark proved impregnable, and it was 

I2T 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

only at the king's express command, and amid 
the tears and entreaties to the contrary of the 
citizens, that Lord Bellasis surrendered — marching 
out with all the honours of war. Like Notting- 
ham Castle, the Castle of Newark was reduced 
to a ruin — " slighted," as it was called. Many 
are the names of great men connected with New- 
ark. In Cartergate Bishop Warburton was prob- 
ably born in 1698, and the Grammar School 
was founded in 1530 by a friend of Wolsey, 
Thomas Magnus, whose name it bears. While 
living at Southwell, Byron came frequently to 
stay at the Clinton Arms Hotel, while super- 
intending the publication of his first volume of 
poems ( 1 806- 1 808), and Mr Gladstone first entered 
Parliament as a member for Newark (1832). The 
parish church was once graced by the eloquence 
of Jeremy Taylor, while in the list of scholars 
of the Magnus Grammar School is the name of 
Samuel Reynolds Hole. Nor must we forget 
that Newark was the birthplace of Nottingham- 
shire's only great musician, John Blow. 

Quite close to the Midland Station is the castle, 
now a mere shell, but retaining much of interest. 
The west wall remains intact, with a tower at 
each end, and the large entrance gateway is a 
magnificent example of its period (1130-1139) ; 
in it may still be seen the remains of the chapel 
of Sts Philip and James. The south-west tower, 
in which King John is said to have died — a rather 
improbable statement — part of the west wall, and 
the crypt are the only other remains of the warlike 
Bishop Alexander's castle. The west wall was 
completed and the north-west hexagonal tower — 
a fine piece of work — built in the 13th cent., 

122 



NEWARK 

and it is interesting to distinguish the work of 
these two periods : the oolite of Bishop Alexander 
and the sandstone of the later builders. The 
three large windows in the west front mark the 
great hall, which was much altered when the 
castle was used as a residence in the 15th cent. 
To this period belongs the beautiful oriel window, 
which still retains the arms of Thomas Scot, 
Bishop of Lincoln, 1471-1480, and from which 
a good view can be obtained. The dungeons 
are beneath the north-west tower. 

It is impossible here to point out all the in- 
teresting and picturesque houses in Newark, but 
the visitor will be well advised to explore all 
yards and passages leading behind the houses, for 
thus he will find many things of great beauty. 
In the market-place is the fine I4th-cent. house 
(now Messrs Bambridge & Co.), which was 
formerly the White Hart Inn, and near it the 
Saracen's Head, where an inn of this name has 
been since 1341 at latest. Sir Walter Scott 
mentions it as a resting place of Jeanie Deans 
on her journey to London. Next to this is 
the Clinton Arms Hotel, which has already been 
mentioned, and at the entrance to Stodman Street 
is the old timber-fronted house occupied by the 
governors of Newark during the Civil War. The 
old Town Hall, with its front supported on pillars, 
is on the north side of the market-place, while the 
present one, built in 1773, is on the west. If we 
pass through the Saracen's Head yard we come to 
the Beaumond Cross, which has proved a puzzle 
to archaeologists. Many theories have been ad- 
vanced as to its raison d'etre, but that alone which 
places it among the Queen Eleanor Crosses seems 

123 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

at least possible. Cartergate, Appletongate, Kirk- 
gate, and the ways leading from them all contain 
interesting features. Two modern buildings de- 
serve mention : the Gilstrap Free Library standing 
in the castle grounds was built and presented to 
the town by Sir William Gilstrap in 1883 : and 
the Ossington coffee tavern, built in 1882, forms 
an interesting imposing feature of the entrance 
to Newark from the north. It was founded by 
Viscountess Ossington in memory of her husband, 
Viscount Ossington, better known as Mr Speaker 
Denison. 

South of Newark are the Sconce Hills, the very 
perfect fortification erected by the Parliamentarians 
during the Civil Wars. Near by is St Catherine's 
Well, to which is attached a curious legend, given 
in full in the histories of Newark. 

But the glory of Newark is its church, by far 
the finest parish church in the county, which 
cannot fail to arrest the attention of even the 
untutored, while to the architect it is a pleasure to 
behold and a theme for study. Dedicated to St 
Mary Magdalene, this church seems at first sight to 
be built almost entirely in the Perp. style, and, 
what is more, to be a very fine example of that 
style. However we soon find traces of much 
earlier work. The large piers at the crossing of 
the transepts were built about 11 60 in the 
Norman style and of the same date is the curiously 
interesting crypt, with its very oblong quadripartite 
vault, under the high altar, where the relics 
belonging to the church would probably be kept. 
The survival of these pieces of work shows us that 
they belonged to a cruciform building but little 
less in size than the present church. It seems 

124 



NEWARK 

doubtful whether a central tower was even in- 
tended, for the piers do not look strong enough to 
support any great weight. About 1230 the 
western tower was commenced, and finished up 
to the level where the clock is now. At first it 
stood out from the west end of the church, but 
before long the aisles were continued westwards 
and the tower included in the building. Had 
these I3th-cent. builders been able to complete 
their tower and spire — it was probably lack of 
funds that prevented them — Newark would have 
possessed the finest as well as the earliest tower and 
spire of any size in England. Every bit of this 
work is worthy of study. In 1 3 1 3 a rebuilding of 
the church was taken in hand. The top storey of 
the tower and spire was added and the beautiful 
south aisle of the nave was built. This latter, with 
its fine series of windows, was the work of that 
school of sculptors whom we hear of so frequently 
during the 14th cent, and of whom we know so 
little. In addition to these works the ground-plan 
of the church was laid out and the walls built up 
to the ground-course and, it would seem, a little 
farther at the east end. They were destined not 
to be completed, for the Black Death swept over 
the country and carried off most of the skilled 
workmen. It was not till about 1390 that work 
was recommenced and the nave was begun. Little 
however was done and the work was not com- 
pleted till 1460, by which time the nave and its 
aisles were as we see them to-day. By 1498 the 
chancel was finished, and the fabric was completed 
in 1539 by the addition of the transepts. The 
details of the church are of considerable interest. 
In 1500 the chantry chapel on the north side of 

125 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

the chancel was founded by Thomas Meryng, 
whose arms appear on it, while five years later that 
on the south was founded by Robert Markham. 
The fine screen and its parcloses, which are worthy 
of comparison with any others in England, were 
the work of Thomas Drawswerd of York in 1508, 
while the stalls with the series of twenty-six miseri- 
cords were put in in 1525. All the stained glass 
that has survived the Civil War will be found in the 
east window of the south chancel aisle. There are 
three brasses still in existence. The finest is that 
which commemorates Alan Fleming, who died in 
1 361. It measures 9 ft. by 5 ft. 7 in. and is one of 
four large brasses of Flemish workmanship which 
have come down to us. This brass is now on the 
wall of the south transept. In a bad position at 
the west end of the north aisle will be found the 
Phyllypot brass. On the floor of the north transept 
is a small brass to a civilian of the first half of the 
1 6th cent. The monuments are more interesting 
for the men they commemorate and the strangeness 
of the epitaphs than for any intrinsic merit. The 
font is very curious. The top half was destroyed 
in 1646 and restored in 1660, and so we have the 
anomaly of saints whose legs belong to the 14th 
cent, but whose lovelocks and moustaches are 
Carolian. A close study of the lettering on the 
base will show that the letters are formed of inter- 
twined beasts of various kinds. The inscription 
reads " Carne rei nati sunt, hoc Deo fonte renati." 
In a room over the south porch is a library be- 
queathed by Bishop White of Peterborough, who, 
in 1688, was one of the famous " Seven Bishops" 
who were tried by King James II. 

Newstead Abbey. (Open to visitors on Tuesdays 

126 



NEWSTEAD ABBEY 

and Fridays only. Permission must be obtained 
by writing beforehand to the housekeeper. No 
bicycles are permitted in the park and visitors 
must leave by the same entrance as that by which 
they come in.) There are two ways of reaching 
Newstead ; one, by train to Newstead Station on 
the Midland Railway, and the other, by walking, 
driving or riding to the Hutt Hotel on the 
Nottingham and Mansfield road, opposite which 
are the entrance gates. In either case there is a 
walk of about i J m. before the Abbey is reached. 
In 1 1 70, Henry II. founded a Priory (it is not 
really an abbey at all) of Black Canons here, 
which passed at the Dissolution into the hands of 
Sir John Byron of Colwick, who immediately 
proceeded to convert the old buildings into a 
magnificent residence for himself. For services 
to the Royalist cause the family were raised to 
the peerage in 1643, with the title of Baron 
Byron of Rochdale. All went well with Newstead 
until the fifth Lord Byron inherited the property. 
He did everything within his power to ruin the 
estate ; the trees were felled, the park divided into 
farms, and the herds of deer killed. The buildings 
were allowed to fall into disrepair, and when he died 
he breathed his last in the scullery, the only place 
where the roof was watertight. He was succeeded 
by his great-nephew, the poet, whose eccentric life 
is too well known to be sketched here. At first the 
Abbey, as it has always been called, was rented 
to Lord Grey of Ruthyn, but Lord Byron 
frequently visited and in 1806 wrote " Hours of 
Idleness" there. In 1808 Byron went to 
live there, but only for a short time. In 18 13 
an attempt was made to sell the estate. Byron's 

127 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

marriage did not mend matters, and in 1816 he left 
England for the last time. In 1 8 1 8 the Abbey was 
sold to Colonel Wildman, to whom it is due that 
this is one of the noblest houses in this district. 

As we approach the Abbey we cannot fail to 
be struck by the dignified beauty of the I3th-cent. 
west front of the old priory church. Directly 
after entering the house we are in the monks' 
parlour. The refectory does duty as a dining 
hall, while Byron's bedroom formed part of the 
prior's lodging. The library and drawing-room 
contain many excellent and valuable pictures. 
The chapter-house has survived as a private 
chapel and the cloisters are still to be seen. 
Much of this old priory has come down to us and 
we ought to be grateful to Sir John Byron — 
"Little Sir John with the great beard" — for pre- 
serving so much. Every visitor to Newstead goes 
to see the beautifully situated tomb of Byron's 
favourite dog " Boatswain," with whom it is said 
the poet himself wished to be buried. The lake 
in front of the Abbey has a bare appearance 
though it adds much to the view of the west side. 
During the time of the fifth Lord Byron the 
brass lectern was found in the lake. It is now at 
Southwell Minster, and when opened it was found 
to contain documents relating to the priory. 

On the death of Colonel Wildman the abbey 
was purchased by the late Mr W. F. Webb. 
This gentleman was the personal friend of Dr 
Livingstone, who was frequently a visitor, and 
wrote one at least of his books here. Mr H. M. 
Stanley was entertained at the Abbey, where 
several relics of Livingstone are preserved, though 
of course the relics of Byron far outnumber them. 

128 



NO RMANTON— NOTTINGHAM 

Normanton-on-Soar (f m. S. of Hathern 
Station) is pleasantly situated on the banks of the 
river and there is good boating to be had on a 
stretch of some 3 m. The church (St Mary) was 
built almost entirely in the 13th cent. The cen- 
tral tower and spire are particularly noticeable. 
Note (1) stone altar in retro-choir; (2) large 
plaster Royal Arms 1683 ; (3) some good old 
benches. Excellent accommodation may be had 
at the Plough Inn. 

Normanton-on- Trent (2 \ m. N. of Crow Park 
Station) is built at the foot of a slight slope 
leading down to the alluvial flat of the river. 
The church (St Matthew), a 14th and 15th 
cent, structure, calls for little notice. It has a 
well-proportioned tower. The old font does 
duty as a flower-pot in the churchyard. 

Norwell (2 m. S.W. of Carlton-on-Trent) 
was once of considerable importance, for here 
were six moated houses, the site of one of which 
may be seen to the south of the church, and more- 
over there were three prebends of Southwell 
Minster. The church (St Lawrence) shows a 
Norman and E.E. nave, on the north side of 
which may be seen stone seats round the piers.; 
Undoubtedly the best work is the rich clerestory. 
Note ( 1 ) effigy of cross-legged knight in south tran- 
sept and of lady with coronet in south aisle of nave ; 
(2) early Dec. window at east end of south aisle. 

NOTTINGHAM. We are not here concerned 
with the meaning of the word " Nottingham " but 
rather with the history of the town bearing that 
name ; yet we are at once struck by the appropriate- 
ness of the suggestion — a suggestion due originally 
no doubt to its appropriateness — that the word 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

means " the home of the cave-dwellers." We can- 
not get away from the caves ; they were probably 
the dwelling-place of the first human beings 
living on this site, and they continued to act as 
shelter for inhabitants of Nottingham until com- 
paratively recent times. 

The British tribe of the Coritani was settled in 
this district, and the proximity of a dense forest 
and a large river, added to a strong military posi- 
tion, cannot fail to have induced some of them to 
occupy the site of the future town. It is stated 
that its British name was Tiuogobauc ; but of an 
actual British settlement we have no record. The 
Romans do not appear to have had any important 
station here, for beyond the name of a street where 
the road to York passes through the town, there is 
no trace of them ; nor, when we consider the 
matter, ought we to be surprised, for the Roman 
conquest was a conquest by land, whilst the real 
strength of Nottingham lay in its position as a 
river town. It was left to the Saxons to realise 
this ; but again we know nothing of this period 
beyond the fact that the conquest of Mercia, in 
which province this town was situated, followed 
the lines of the rivers. It is not until 868 that 
we reach our first fixed date. In that year the 
" burh " of Nottingham was captured by the 
Danes and the defeated Saxons summoned to their 
aid the youthful Alfred and his brother Ethelred, 
King of Wessex. Little success can have accom- 
panied their efforts, however, for though the 
Danes withdrew for the winter they were in oc- 
cupation again in the ensuing year. The period 
that followed was one of frequent capture and re- 
capture, until about 920, when we find that Not- 

130 



NOTTINGHAM 

tingham had become the chief of the Five Danish 
Boroughs. In 924, in continuance of his victorious 
career, Edward the Elder captured the town, 
fortified it, and threw a bridge across the Trent, 
further strengthening his new acquisition by 
building a fort at the southern end of this bridge. 
Little peace, however, was destined to fall to the 
lot of Nottingham until Canute mounted the 
English throne in 10 17, and the long period of 
chaos gave way to some sort of settled order. 

Like their lords, Edwin and Morcar, Notting- 
ham men were probably absent from the battle of 
Hastings, and to this is due the fact, noted by 
Professor Freeman, that a comparatively large 
number of Saxons retained possession of their 
lands in these parts. The Saxon element was 
indeed so strong that the town had to be divided 
into two parts — a Norman and a Saxon borough. 
Of course they did not enjoy equal privileges, but 
this arrangement was found more conducive to 
peace. William the Norman met with little or 
no resistance when he marched through Notting- 
ham, but he left William Peveril 1 behind with 
orders to strengthen the wooden fortress that 
occupied the rock where the castle now stands. 
After the death of Henry I. the town sided 
with Stephen, and suffered severely at the hands of 
Matilda's army under the Earl of Gloucester. It 
was in fact left in such a condition that when, in 
1 153, Henry II. gained possession of it he found 
it necessary to rebuild and refortify it, and, having 
done so, he bestowed on the town its first charter. 

1 There does not seem to be any reason to suppose that 
William Peveril was the illegitimate son of William the 
Norman. 

131 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

With this beginning of its corporate life we may 
perhaps date its entrance into the commercial 
world. Dyed cloth must have become an impor- 
tant product about this time, for early in the next 
century King John specially protected this trade. 
As the years pass on we find many new industries 
established in the borough, which ^became in time 
a distributing centre for the upper Valley of the 
Trent and its tributaries. It is perhaps one of the 
most remarkable features in the history of the town 
that it should have become attached and remained 
faithful to King John, Yet such is the case, and 
in return no doubt for its loyalty the town re- 
ceived two charters. Now that we have seen the 
borough launched on both its corporate and com- 
mercial career we can hasten on, merely pausing to 
note that in 1283 Edward I. granted the bur- 
gesses the right to elect their own mayor, and 
that in 1448 Henry VI. raised it to the dignity 
of a county with a sheriff of its own, and hence- 
forth its strictly proper designation was " The 
Town and County of the Town of Nottingham." 
Its development must have been accelerated by 
the fact that many sovereigns, notably Richard II., 
Edward IV. and Richard III., chose the castle 
as their favourite residence. The Wars of the 
Roses passed lightly over the heads of the citizens 
of Nottingham, whose interests were on the 
Yorkist side ; and no other events of importance 
occurred to disturb its peaceful advance until the 
terrible Civil War broke out. Charles I. raised his 
standard at Nottingham, and probably expected 
that the citizens and gentry of the neighbourhood 
would flock to his banner, but this was not the 
case, and the castle was shortly afterwards seized 

132 



NOTTINGHAM 

and held for the Parliament by Colonel Hutchin- 
son. The town, however, whose fortifications 
were in a bad condition, appears to have been 
considerably divided in its allegiance, for several 
times during the years 1643 and 1644 the Royalists 
gained easy possession of the Trent Bridge and the 
town itself, though they were never able to capture 
the castle. The chief effect of this war was a 
deadening of commercial life in the borough, while 
the surrounding country was left desolate and un- 
cultivated. To add to these misfortunes the 
plague made one of its dread visitations and many 
of the villages near Nottingham suffered severely. 
When this time of tribulation had passed by Not- 
tingham found itself at the commencement of its 
career as a purely commercial town, for the feudal 
castle lay in ruins and no longer was it affected by 
fear or hope of royal frown or favour nor could 
depend for any part of its trade on the lords and 
ladies who, following in the train of their king, 
brought their money to the Nottingham dealer 
and craftsman. Though once more the castle was 
rebuilt and became a ducal residence, yet never 
again did it dominate the town, and the old mansions 
of the Dukes of Newcastle and Earls of Kingston, 
the earls of Meath and Clare, the Willoughbys 
and other noble families were gradually deserted 
by their former owners and pulled down or turned 
to other uses. The economic distress of the end 
of the 1 8th cent., and the beginning of the 19th 
cent., found its voice in a series of local outbreaks 
known as the Luddite Riots, which, during the 
second decade of the 19th cent., were directed 
against the stocking frames, a number of which 
were smashed. But beyond showing that no 

133 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

cause is advanced by senseless violence these riots 
had little effect, and with the end of the French 
war a period of commercial prosperity began which 
has continued more or less to the present day. 

'Nottingham Castle. — We cannot tell at what 
date this sandstone rock, rising on its south side to 
a height of 133 feet, was first fortified ; history is 
silent and legend helps us little ; yet we feel that 
no race of men, living in the neighbourhood and 
possessed of any self-protective instincts, would 
lose such a chance of establishing their safety. We 
know there was a fortress here when William the 
Norman visited the town, for he ordered its re- 
construction. This reconstructed fortress, which 
like its predecessor was of wood, was situated on 
the summit of the rock where the present castle 
stands and was replaced in the reign of Henry I. 
by a building of stone. So much damage was done 
to it in the stormy days of Stephen that when 
Henry II. came to his own he rebuilt it on a 
much larger scale and considered it of such im- 
portance that he kept it as a royal fortress. As 
such it remained till the 17th cent. The u dis- 
covery " of Sherwood Forest as a hunting ground 
increased the importance of the castle, and it was 
seldom that a sovereign missed an opportunity of 
coming to Nottingham to enjoy the pleasures of 
the chase in the forest, which, it must be re- 
membered, came close up to the town on the 
north and east sides. John used the castle as the 
headquarters of one of his rebellions against his 
brother Richard's authority, and in consequence 
had to be driven out. Among the many deeds by 
which John soiled his name few exhibit quite such 
savage brutality as the execution of the twenty- 

*34 





m- m 



NOTTINGHAM 

eight Welsh boys, hostages for the good behaviour 
of Prince Llewellyn, whom he caused to be hanged 
from the castle walls when the news reached him 
that that turbulent prince was once more in revolt. 
The reigns of Henry III., Edward I. and 
Edward II. appear to have been a period of 
embellishment rather than enlargement of the 
castle ; though the present gateway was added 
during this period. Visitors may still see the 
passage, known as Mortimer's Hole, through 
which Edward III. is said to have reached the 
interior of the castle and captured his mother, 
Queen Isabella, and Earl Mortimer. While the 
same Edward and his son were winning the battle 
of Crecy, King David of Scotland attempted the 
invasion of England, only to be defeated and made 
prisoner at the battle of Neville's Cross. He is said 
to have spent some years in a dungeon beneath the 
castle, where some two centuries later certain carv- 
ings, reputed to be the work of this monarch, could 
be seen. No trace of either the dungeon or the 
carvings has been found, and modern historians 
have not hesitated to deny that such work ever 
existed. In Richard II. 's reign the castle belonged 
to his queen, Anne of Bohemia, and in 1387, while 
in residence there, this unwise king tried unsuccess- 
fully to effect a coup-cC etat and infringe the liberties 
of the people. A few years later Henry IV. sent 
Owen Glyndwr as a prisoner to Nottingham. 
During the reigns of Edward IV. and Richard III. 
the castle reached its period of greatest magnificence, 
as it certainly did of greatest extent, for it then 
stretched as far as Park Row and the town side of 
Standard Hill, covering all the ground now occu- 
pied by St James' Church and the General Hospital. 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

From its walls no doubt many watched Richard III. 
lead his army to Leicester and his last fight at 
Bosworth Field, while a few years later a similar 
sight, connected with an event of no less moment, 
was to be seen when Henry VII. marshalled his 
forces before setting out to fight Lambert Simnel 
at East Stoke. But the castle was drawing near 
its end as a fortress ; had it been the residence of 
some noble holding the neighbouring lands it 
might have escaped the metamorphosis into a 
peaceful dwelling, but as a royal castle which the 
quieter times had rendered of no further use it 
was allowed to fall into disrepair. To such an 
extent indeed had it crumbled away in the ensuing 
century that when needed again in the Civil War 
it was found to be in so ruinous a condition as to 
be hardly tenable. In 1642 Charles I. chose 
Nottingham, as has been already mentioned, as 
the rallying point of his forces for the struggle 
with his parliament. On a spot now within the 
precincts of the General Hospital he caused a 
standard to be raised with much pomp and cere- 
mony, but with little success from a military point 
of view. The town seems to have been distinctly 
apathetic to his cause, though soon afterwards, when 
Colonel Hutchinson had made himself as strong as 
the ruinous condition of the castle buildings per- 
mitted, there appears to have been a Royalist party 
in the town sufficiently strong to neutralise any 
active movements on the part of the Parliamentarian 
citizens. Thus it was that Colonel Hutchinson 
often found himself hard pressed to hold his own 
against an enemy who was even able to penetrate 
as far as the tower of St Nicholas' Church and 
thence to bombard the castle. But this last flicker 

136 



NOTTINGHAM 

of life in the old fortress did not last long, and 
when the Commonwealth became supreme the 
total dismantling of the buildings was ordered in 
1 65 1. When already a ruin the castle had been 
granted by James I. to the Earl of Rutland, and at 
the Restoration the property was inherited by the 
Duxke of Buckingham, who sold it in 1674 to 
William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle. This 
last-mentioned nobleman shortly afterwards com- 
menced the building of a Renaissance palace of 
rather poor design. This was completed in 1679 
and remained intact until it was destroyed by the 
Reform rioters in 183 1, though by that time the 
dukes of Newcastle had ceased to reside there. It 
was restored in 1875, wnen tne town authorities 
leased it and opened it (3rd July 1878) as an art 
museum. 

One last incident in the castle's history deserves 
to be noted. In 1688 James II. found himself in 
great disfavour with his subjects, who were ready 
to throw in their lot with William of Orange. 
The last straw which, metaphorically, broke James's 
back was the desertion of his general, John 
Churchill, and the flight of his daughter, Anne, 
the future Queen of England. Anne fled north- 
wards, with Nottingham as her goal. Here she 
was welcomed enthusiastically, and we have an 
account of the banquet given in her honour from 
the pen of the future Poet Laureate, Colley Cibber, 
who was one of the band who marched out of the 
town and met the princess on Wilford Hill. 

Nottingham Castle Museum. (Open weekdays 
10 a.m. to 9 p.m. ; Sundays 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Ad- 
mission : Fridays sixpence, other days free.) 
(The order of the exhibits is liable to change.) 

*37 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Portico contains memorial bas-reliefs and busts 
in bronze of Nottingham literary men and women. 

Interior (enter by south door). 

Room L. Savile Collection of Classical Anti- 
quities recovered from the site of the Temple of 
Diana at Nemi, Italy. Note the very fine portrait 
bust on stele in marble of Fundilia Rufa and the 
cast of the supposed bust of the Rex Nemorensis. 

South Court. Godson Millns Collection of 
Engravings of local men of note : Felix Joseph 
Collection of original drawings for book illustrations 
by Stothard, G. F. Sargent and others. 

Room K. Electrotypes, local maps, engravings 
and plans. 

Room J. Medals (military), Nottinghamshire 
tokens, English and foreign porcelain, and English 
wrought-ironwork, some of which is almost 
certainly the work of the famous Huntingdon 
Shaw. 

Room I. English porcelain. Here is one of the 
finest public collections of Wedgwood in the 
country, bequeathed to the museum by Felix 
Joseph, Esq. It includes one of the fifty copies 
of the Portland or Barberini Vase and a large vase 
with Flaxman's designs of the Apotheosis of Homer. 
One of the most interesting features is the large 
number of medallions and plaques. In the wall- 
cases will be found examples of the old Nottingham 
brown ware. 

Room H. Oriental pottery. 

Room G. Miscellaneous arms. 

The Textile Gallery downstairs occupies the 
site of the old kitchen, and the fireplace (1670) 
for baking still remains in situ. Here is a good 
collection of lace and embroidery of all dates and 

13K 



NOTTINGHAM 

from all lands, together with some early hosiery 
and lace machines. Note the coloured photo- 
graphs of the Bayeux Tapestry. 

At the foot of the North Staircase are some 
carved oak columns and arches {temp. James I.), 
which stood formerly on the Long Row. On the 
staircase are autotype reproductions of famous 
pictures. 

Gallery F. Local portraits and views. 

Gallery E. Collection of Portraits lent by 
Lieutenant Bromley of East Stoke Hall, including 
works by Van Dyck (three heads of Charles I.), 
John Hoppner (Henry Kirk White), Sir Peter 
Lely (Prince Rupert), George Romney (Mrs 
Wilson), Richard Cosway, R. P. Bonington and 
Turner (The Whalers). 

Gallery D. (Long Gallery) Permanent collec- 
tion of pictures or Special Exhibitions. 

Gallery C. Etchings, engravings and aqua- 
tints. 

Gallery B. Drawings by early Italian, Dutch 
and French masters. Drawings for book illustra- 
tion. Leech's drawings made for Punch and 
other periodicals. Group of drawings by John 
Flaxman, Thomas and Paul Sandby, Henry 
Dawson, etc. Collection of i8th-cent. miniatures. 

Gallery A. Godson Millns Collection of 
early English, Dutch and Flemish pictures and 
miniatures. Note the landscapes by Jan Wijnants 
and figures by David Teniers. 

Collection of Shells made by John Ruskin to 
illustrate colour and form in natural objects. 

On South Staircase is the Godson Millns Collec- 
tion of Engravings of Painters and Engravers. 

Description of Nottingham. — Nottingham was (and 

!39 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

is still divided into three parishes, though the 
boundaries of St Mary's parish have been very 
greatly extended) divided into three parishes of 
St Mary, St Peter and St Nicholas, all included 
within the area bounded by the town walls which 
ran roughly from the castle postern (now re- 
membered in Postern Gate) down Park Row along 
Upper Parliament Street, Lower Parliament Street 
Coalpit Lane, Hockley, Sneinton Street, Carter 
Gate, Fisher Gate, up Hollow Stone, along High 
Pavement, and past Garner's Hill and Middle Hill, 
where it made a projecting angle, and thence by 
Middle Pavement, Low Pavement, Brewhouse Yard 
to the castle. With one or two exceptions every- 
thing of interest in the town will be found on or 
within the line of this wall, of which nothing 
remains visible except a small portion now re- 
constructed in the castle grounds. 1 

Soon after the Norman Conquest the town was 
divided by a line running along Milton Street, 
Clumber Street, High Street, Bridlesmith Gate 
and Drury Hill into two boroughs — an English 
and a French — for the better preservation of peace 
between the Saxon and Norman inhabitants. 
This arrangement placed the parish of St Mary 

1 We have been shown recently a piece of old wall in 
a yard between Low Pavement and Broad Marsh which 
has every appearance of being part of the town wall. 
One reason why everything of any antiquity lies within 
the circuit of the old town wall is that until 1845 this 
area was nearly surrounded by the Lammas Fields, which, 
belonging to the community from August till February, 
were divided between private owners during the rest of 
the year, and so formed a belt of open space which, 
while enclosing the town, led to the growth of a number 
of surrounding villages, now part of the city. 

I4O 



NOTTINGHAM 

in the eastern or English borough and the other 
parishes in the French portion of the town. This 
division, which existed for judicial purposes until 
1 714, left the market-place entirely in the French 
borough, a difficulty which was overcome by 
building a wall from east to west so as to enable 
the inhabitants to share it equally. 1 

Nottingham people are justly proud of their 
huge market-place — the largest open one in England 
— and whether it be seen empty or filled with the 
stalls and the bustling buyers and sellers of Satur- 
days, or packed with a jovial Goose Fair crowd, it 
is not a sight to be readily forgotten. From the 
descriptions which have come down to us we are 
able to reconstruct the appearance of the market- 
place in olden times, with its horsepond and open 
drains, its sawpits, pillory, stocks and ducking 
stool ; on the South Parade, then known as Timber 
Hill, was the horsemarket, which later on was 
moved to St Peter's Square ; on Beastmarket Hill 
where once had been the gateway and other build- 
ings of the Friary of the Carmelites or White 
Friars, were sold cattle ; while country produce 
was to be bought in the Poultry, where formerly 
stood the Hen Cross, then the eastern boundary of 
the Saturday market, of which the western bound- 
ary was the Malt Cross, situated near the spot 
where the statue of Queen Victoria now stands. 
Goose Fair, which is now held on the first Thurs- 

1 The separation between these two boroughs is exem- 
plified in an interesting manner by the law of inheritance 
which was in force. In the English borough the custom 
known as " Borough English " was followed — that is to 
say, the inheritance went to the youngest son, while in 
the French borough it passed to the eldest, in accordance 
with the feudal law of descent. 

I 4 I 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

day and two succeeding days in October, can be 
traced back to the 13th cent. It no longer retains 
anything of its former character as a market, but is 
entirely given over to merrymaking. The western 
entrance to the town was by the Chapel Bar, the 
latest surviving of all the town gates. Space does 
not permit us to notice here the changes that have 
taken place in the streets in the centre of the town ; 
old ones have been widened and have changed 
their names, and new ones have been cut through, 
so that few of the streets now retain anything to 
remind us of their antiquity. At the southern 
corner of Friar Lane and Wheeler Gate was the 
town hall of the French borough and that of 
the English was on Weekday Cross, where the 
bridge of the G.C.R. and G.N.R. now stands. 
On Angel Row remains an extremely fine example 
of the town house of a wealthy man of Queen 
Anne's reign — Bromley House, still retaining 
much of its fine decorative work in wood and 
plaster. Here on the first floor is the Nottingham 
Subscription Library, which possesses some 30,000 
books, including many very valuable topographical 
and historical works. Continuing into Chapel 
Bar we find a house, No. 17, which is interesting 
in the history of British journalism, for here it was 
Mr Ingram, carrying on a printing business (Ingram 
& Cooke), hit upon the idea of an illustrated 
paper, and leaving Nottingham for London founded 
The Illustrated London News, the first journal of its 
kind. Many literary associations have gathered 
round Dunn's bookshop on the South Parade (now 
Kiddier's brush shop). Among the visitors of 
interest was the poet Montgomery, mention of 
whom reminds us that he was also a frequent guest 

142 



NOTTINGHAM 

at the chemist's shop kept by William and Mary 
Howitt, which stood at the corner of Parliament 
Street and Newcastle Street. Here too came 
Philip James Bailey and read aloud his " Festus " 
before its publication, and once William Words- 
worth is known to have paid a visit. Just behind 
the Exchange in the Shoe Booth a house is marked 
as the birthplace of Henry Kirk White. Near 
by is a very beautiful old shop front (Harrison's), 
the only one remaining in Nottingham. Newdi- 
gate House in Castle Gate was the residence of 
Marshal Tallard who was captured at the battle of 
Blenheim and sent prisoner to Nottingham, where 
he placed Nottingham men deeply in his debt by 
encouraging gardening, for quite one of the features 
of the suburbs of the town is the large number of 
workmen's allotment gardens. Quite close to 
Newdigate House, whose ironwork gate we must 
not omit to notice, are some fine old brick houses 
in Brewhouse Yard and an extremely pretty row 
of cottages, known as Jessamine Cottages, formerly 
the workhouse of St Nicholas' parish. (These 
latter may be very well seen from the castle 
grounds.) 

In Castle Gate and Low, Middle and High 
Pavements we see many " stout broad-shouldered " 
houses of Queen Anne's reign now unfortunately 
degraded into warehouses. At the corner of Low 
Pavement and Drury Hill is the house known as 
Vault Hall, fronted by the best ironwork in Not- 
tingham. The vaults of this house were used 
extensively by the merchants of the Staple, but 
in the 17th cent, were occupied for quite a 
different purpose when the Act of Uniformity 
of 1662 turned the Presbyterian ministers, Whit- 

£43 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

lock, Reynolds and Barrett, out of their livings, 
and compelled them to hold their services in 
secret. The old Postern Gate Inn was built 
during the early 17th cent, on the site of the 
gatehouse that was formerly here. Middle Pave- 
ment leads into Weekday Cross, where (on the 
left-hand side) we note a tablet recording the 
birthplace of Philip James Bailey. Weekday 
Cross was the site of the weekday market in 
olden times, and was perhaps as important as the 
great market-place. On the south side of High 
Pavement is the High Pavement Chapel (Unitarian) 
founded by Whitlock, Reynolds and Barrett, in 
1670 after the passing of the Toleration Act, where 
in 1796 Samuel Taylor Coleridge preached a 
charity sermon in " my blue coat," and where on 
28th November 1802 Richard Parkes Bonington 
was baptised, and where Byron as a boy attended. 
The chapel is worth visiting on account of its 
fine modern stained glass by Burne - Jones and 
Holliday. As we approach St Mary's Church 
we note on the left-hand side (No. 17) the 
dwelling-place of Henry Kirk White from 1798 
to 1806, and a little farther on are the Judges' 
Lodgings and almost opposite the Shire Hall is 
No. 29, the best piece of brickwork in Notting- 
ham (a.d. 1820). In front of the Shire Hall 
criminals were publicly hanged until 1864, and 
the curious may still find in the upper part of 
the building a square white stone, which in earlier 
days used to be removed to make way for the 
insertion of the cross-piece of the gallows. In 
High Street, close to the music shop of Messrs 
Henry Farmer & Co., is the site (then occupied 
by a room of the Blackamoor's Head Inn) where 

144 



NOTTINGHAM 

Lord Byron's body lay after it had been brought 
from Missolonghi for burial at Hucknall Torkard 
church ; and hard by, near the top of Pelham 
Street (on the right-hand side), was the town 
house of the Byron family, lords of Newstead. 
Here the poet and his mother at one time lived, 
and at the top of St James' Street is another house 
where Byron resided during the years 1 798-1 799. 
Si Mary's Church is an extremely imposing 
structure, placed well above the High Pavement, 
and its massive central tower is a prominent object 
in all views of the town. The history of the 
church is somewhat obscure. It was a place of 
some importance before the Conquest, for in 
Domesday Book it was the holding of Aitard 
the Priest and of the value of 100 shillings. 
The foundation of Lenton Priory brought about 
its degradation from a rectory to a vicarage, and 
it was handed over with all its belongings to this 
great priory by William Peverel by the consent 
of Henry I. During the 12th cent. Nottingham 
and its churches were destroyed by fire three 
times, and it was after the last of these conflagra- 
tions, that of 1 1 74, that a late Norman church 
was built. During the restorations of the last 
century two capitals of this building were found, 
but they were, unfortunately, reburied. A further 
rebuilding took place about 1300, and of this 
church the remains of a pier can still be seen 
beneath the floor of the nave. We can determine 
nothing as to the size and shape of these two 
churches, though the second of them had, in all 
probability, transepts, for the foundations of the 
present nave and transept walls are composed of old 
masonry. The greater part of the present build- 

k 145 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

ing appears to have been erected during the last 
twenty years of the 15th cent. It is an excellent 
example of the work of this period, and the nave 
is worthy of the greatest admiration. The south 
porch is in a state of considerable decay, but this 
would seem to be due to inferior stone and to 
exposure, rather than to greater age, for it seems 
to be of the same date as the nave and transepts. 
The chancel is aisleless, and compares but poorly 
with the rest of the work. When Leland visited 
Nottingham in 1540, he found the church s< ex- 
cellent new and uniform in work." In 1559, in 
accordance with the First Act of Uniformity, 
fourteen commissioners were appointed to visit 
the Northern Province. On 22nd August they 
visited St Mary's and recorded, " The Charncell 
is in gret decaye and the wyndowes unglased." 
Elsewhere it is recorded that on 7th July 1558 
a great hurricane from the south-west visited 
Nottingham and district, and destroyed two 
churches by the Trent. It is quite likely that 
it also wrought havoc to the chancel of St 
Mary's. It seems not unlikely therefore that 
this part of the building would be rebuilt, and 
to this late date we may attribute the poorness 
of style. The tombs which remain cannot be 
assigned with any certainty. That in the south 
transept, of the same date as the church, probably 
belongs to a member of the Salmon family ; that 
in the north transept, of slightly later date, to 
Thomas Thurland ; while the figure in the north 
aisle of the nave is unknown. Note ( 1 ) the font 
with the Greek inscription, which may be read 
either forwards or backwards, " Wash away thy sin, 
wash not thy face only " ; ( 2 ) the piece of alabaster 

146 



NOTTINGHAM 

carving in the south wall of the chancel, represen- 
ting a pope, supported by two cardinals, bestowing 
a benefice on a bishop ; (3) the painting by Fra 
Bartolomeo ( 1 45 9- 1 5 1 7 ) , the friend of Savonarola, 
given to the church by Mr Thomas Wright of Up- 
ton Hall, and fixed to the south-east pier of the 
tower ; (4) the tombstone in the churchyard at the 
north-west corner of the church, dated 1714 and 
made of Nottingham pottery, the inscription 
being stamped on. 

St Peter's Church (or, to give it its full dedica- 
tion, Sts Peter and Paul) is not a place of great 
beauty. The I3th-cent. south arcade and the 
I5th-cent. piers on the north do not blend har- 
moniously, and the modern chancel is of no great 
merit. It replaced a poor structure, which was 
put up after the original work had been destroyed 
during the Civil War. The nave roof and that 
of the south aisle remain to testify to the gener- 
osity of the Strelleys. The present vestry was 
formerly a Chapel of All Saints. Note ( 1 ) the 
communion plate which, though of no great age, 
is good ; (2) the monument of William Ayscough, 
1 7 19, who is said by Deering to have introduced 
printing into Nottingham in 17 10. 

St Nicholas' Church presents the usual lack of in- 
terest which attaches to brick churches. It was 
entirely rebuilt by the year 1682. During the Civil 
War it had been seized by the "Newarkers," as the 
king's party were called locally, and from its tower 
the castle garrison were so much harassed that in 
1647 Colonel Hutchinson ordered its demolition. 

The Roman Catholic Cathedral (St Barnabas) on 
Derby Road is a simple and severe example of 
Pugin's early work. 

H7 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

By far the best modern church in the town 

is St Alban's near Sneinton market-place. 

The Trent Bridge. — This fine bridge, which 
crosses the Trent and connects Nottingham and 
West Bridgford, was built in 1 869-1 871 in place 
of a medieval bridge of which one of the arches 
on the south side still remains. This crossing of 
the Trent has always been of the greatest import- 
ance as it forms a link between northern and 
southern England. In 924 we hear that Edward 
the Elder built a bridge across the Trent — the 
only mention in the Chronicles of such a con- 
struction — and though we cannot be sure that it 
occupied the exact place which the present one 
does (for it seems more than likely that at that 
date the Trent flowed rather more to the north 
than it does at the present day), yet we may 
safely say that the old wooden bridge was the 
ancestor of that which we now see. The next 
record of this bridge is in 1231 when the Arch- 
bishop of York issued an indulgence of thirteen days 
to whomsoever contributed to the construction of 
the bridge " of Hoybel at Notingham." We 
can have little doubt that this refers to the build- 
ing of the first stone bridge over the Trent. 
Like many medieval bridges, the Hethbeth bridge, 
as it was usually called, had a chapel on it where 
marriages could be solemnised and services held. 
As early as 1202 we find that the Trent Bridge 
depended for its repairs on the Brethren of the 
Hospital of St John the Baptist, an early founda- 
tion outside the town walls on the north side. 
In February 155 1 Edward VI. deprived this 
hospital and several other similar foundations 
of their property, which he handed over to the ! 

148 



NOTTINGHAM 

mayor and burgesses of the town to provide funds 
for the sustentation of Trent Bridge. The 
strategic importance of this bridge was fully 
recognised during the Civil War of the 1 7th cent, 
when frequent attacks and counter attacks were 
made by both parties, with the result that it 
frequently changed hands. 

Other places of interest in the city may be 
mentioned : — 

The Park forms one of the residential quarters 
of the city. It is a private estate of 14.0 
acres belonging to the Duke of Newcastle, 
and is in shape a vast amphitheatre, as may be 
seen very well from the castle grounds, or from 
Lenton Road between Ogle Drive and Castle 
Grove. It is only within comparatively recent 
years that houses have been built in the Park, 
which was formerly the haunt of red deer. It is 
now prettily laid out and, being well wooded (for 
the most part with elms), provides as pleasant a 
walk in spring and early summer as anyone can 
desire. In the grounds of Mr Hemingway's 
house in Hermitage Walk is a series of caves which 
have caused much dispute among antiquaries. 
Authorities have attributed various purposes to 
them from a Columbarium in Roman times to a 
shop in the Middle Ages. One thing alone seems 
fairly certain ; that there was once a Chapel of St 
Mary of the Rock here. These excavations can 
only be visited by permission from the owner, but 
the entrance to them may be seen from the top of 
the tramcars which pass along Castle Boulevard. 

The Arboretum, which is the name given to 
the city's chief public park, has an area of seven- 
teen acres and consists of sloping lawns and paths. 

149 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

There is an artificial pond and a small aviary. 
The Arboretum may be entered either from 
Waverley Street or from Sherwood Street. 
Passing out of the gate into the latter street we 
cross the Mansfield Road and soon reach Corpora- 
tion Oaks and St Ann's Hill, whence an extensive 
view may be obtained. The top of the Mansfield 
Road used to be known as Gallows Hill and 
formed part of the hamlet of Longotten. St 
Andrew's Church, which occupies this spot, is a 
conspicuous feature in views of the city. 

Opposite St Andrew's Church is the Church 
Cemetery, which*- was laid out in 1853. It is 
extremely picturesque — for a cemetery — and in it 
are some interesting large sandstone caves. By its 
side is the Forest, now the recreation ground for 
this side of the city, and until 1890 the town 
racecourse. The Forest was within living 
memory a waste of heather and gorse, a remnant of 
Sherwood Forest, made more picturesque by the 
presence of windmills. Close to the Forest, but on 
the opposite side of Mansfield Road, is the 
Children's Hospital, which until recent years 
was in Postern Gate, opposite the General 
Hospital. 

The High School (now in Arboretum Street) 
was founded as a free Grammar School by Dame 
Agnes Mellersin 15 13. 

The chief places of amusement in the city are : 
The Theatre Royal at the top of Market Street, 
flanked by the Empire and the Hippodrome and 
the Grand Theatre in Hyson Green. 

The chief public halls are the Mechanics' large 
hall at the corner of Burton Street and Mansfield 
Road, and the Albert Hall, in East Circus Street, 

150 



NUTTALL 

a fine modern building erected at a considerable 
cost by the Wesleyans. The large block of 
buildings between Sherwood Street, Shakespeare 
Street and Bilbie Street contains the Uni- 
versity College of Nottingham, affiliated to Cam- 
bridge, the 'Nottingham Free Library, which has 
a very fine collection of books, and is open daily 
to the public, and the Natural History Museum, 

Nuttall (ij m. S.E. of Watnall Station) lies 
on the main road leading from Nottingham to 
Matlock and the Peak of Derbyshire. Its church 
is dedicated to St Patrick and was built chiefly 
in the reign of Richard II. Note (i) the 
"pudding" roll bases of the tower arch; (2) 
Perp. screen, originally a parclose screen enclosing 
a Chapel of St Mary ; ( 3 ) the alabaster cffi.gy of 
Sir Robert Cokefield, who was the probable re- 
builder of this church at the end of the 14th 
cent. ; (4) the low-side window. 

The manor was originally a possession of the 
family of St Patricius. In 12 16 we find that it 
had passed into the hands of the Cokefields, 
who must have held it for 200 years, when it 
became the property of the Ayscoughs, who re- 
tained possesssion until 161 2. Opposite the 
church is the entrance to Nuttall Temple, the 
residence of Mr John Holden. This " Temple," 
so called because of its dome, was built by Sir 
Charles Sedley during the years 1754 an< ^ 1 757- 
It is an imitation of Palladio's Villa Capra, near 
Vicenza, which has been copied at Chiswick 
House in Middlesex, Footscray Place and 
Mereworth Castle, both in Kent. The story goes 
that Nuttall Temple was built with the winnings 
of one race. 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Ollerton (R. Station). This little humdrum 
place, close to the junction of the rivers Rain- 
worth Water and Maun, is called a market town 
though few signs of any commercial activity are 
ever visible. It is only when motor cars or brakes 
arrive at that excellent hostelry, the Hop Pole, 
that the lethargy is broken. There are a few re- 
mains of the house of the Markhams, one of whom, 
Sir Griffin Markham, was associated with the Bye 
Plot, which failed, in 1603, and it was only by the 
greatest good fortune that he escaped death and 
was allowed to live abroad. Ollerton, like its 
neighbour Edwinstowe, is quite one of the best 
centres from which to visit the beauties of Birk- 
land and Bilhagh. Few more delightful walks are 
possible than that from Ollerton to Thoresby 
when the spring is young and the night's frost has 
frozen the sap in the trees until it hangs in icicles. 
Then we wander in the sharp morning air under 
the stately beeches, until we come to an eminence 
and there below us is Thoresby and in front a 
herd of deer feed peacefully. 

Ordsall (J- m. S. of Retford) suffers somewhat 
from its proximity to, its large neighbour, yet its 
church( All Saints) is well worth a visit. Several re- 
storations have given it a new appearance but work 
of the 13th and 14th cent, will be seen. The 
nave arcade is especially to be noted. The screen 
at the west end was brought from Hayton Castle. 
It is interesting to note that in 1662 the Rev. Mar- 
maduke Moor was turned out of his benefice 
" for the heinous and damnable offence of playing 
at cards three several times with his own wife." 

Orston (Elton and Orston R. Station) when 
approached from the station is a picture of beauty, 

152 



OLLERTON— OWTHORPE 

with its red-tiled cottages and wealth of timber. 
The church (St Mary) is at present (November 
1908) under repair and the I5th-cent. roofs 
of the nave and aisles require much strengthen- 
ing. The nave and chancel belong to the E.E. 
period and the aisles are good early Dec. work, 
the tracery of the windows being worthy of at- 
tention. The font is the best Restoration font in 
the county. Note ( 1 ) base of cross in the vil- 
lage ; (2) old cottage opposite the churchyard. 

Osberton Hall (2 m. N.W. of Checkerhouse 
Station, 3 m. S. of Worksop) is a modern house, 
the seat of the Foljambes. Near the adjacent 
hamlet of Scofton is a little church built in 1833 
in the Norman style. 

Ossington (2 m. W. of Carlton-on-Trent) 
belonged for many years to the Cartwrights, who, 
in 1780, sold it to William Denison, a wool mer- 
chant of Leeds, in whose family it still remains. 
The Hall is modern and stands in a well-timbered 
park. The church (Holy Cross) is quite near the 
Hall. It is a modern building with an interesting 
tomb to William Cartwright (1602) and a brass 
to Reynold Peckham (1580) and his wife, which 
has recently been found to be a palimpsest brass. 

Owthorpe (5 m. E. of Plumtree and 5 J m. S. 
of Radcliffe-on -Trent) will be familiar to all 
readers of the " Memoirs of Colonel Hutchinson." 
Now a mere handful of houses, hidden in a 
hollow of the Wolds, this little village, with its 
large green, is rich in memories of the stern Parlia- 
mentarian. Here was the house of the Hutchin- 
sons which " having bene rob'd of every thing 
which the neighbouring garrisons of Shelford and 
Wiverton could carrie from it, it was so ruinated 

153 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

that it could not be repair'd, to make a convenient 
habitation, without as much charge as would 
almost build another." Though one of the 
Regicides, Colonel Hutchinson was allowed, in 
1660, to retire to Owthorpe, where in 1650 he 
had rebuilt his house and the church, and here he 
amused himself by laying out gardens and planting 
avenues of trees, one of which may still be seen in 
the field near the church. The old hall has 
totally disappeared, though its site may still be 
traced. 

The last year of his life Hutchinson spent as a 
prisoner at Sandown in Kent, where he died in 
1664. 1 He is buried in the little church at 
Owthorpe, which contains a Jacobean pulpit and 
a Perp. font. 

Oxton (5 m. N. of Lowdham) is situated in a 
district in which numerous remains of British and 
later pre-Norman inhabitants abound. About il 
m. N.N.E. of the village is the Oldox Camp, whose 
age it is impossible to determine until some care- 
ful excavation has been made. The object of this 
camp is not at first clear for it is placed in a hol- 
low and commanded by hills on all sides. In all 
probability it was a place of shelter for the women, 
children, and such belongings, living and material, 
as they possessed, while the eminence to the north- 
west could be used as a look-out post. Other 
pre-Conquest earthworks remain in the parish. 
The church (St Peter) has a chancel arch and 
south side of chancel dating from the last quarter 
of the nth cent., though thought by some to be 

1 The date on the monument is 1663, but he is known 
to have signed documents in 1664, so that the latter 
date is correct. 

154 



OXTON— PAPPL E WIC K 

Saxon. There is an effigy ( I4th-cent.) at the 
west end of the nave, which is intended to repre- 
sent a serjeant-at-law, to judge by the coif. The 
old font has recently been discovered, thanks to 
the vicar, whose energies in this direction should 
commend themselves to all antiquaries. 

Papple?vick (i m. E. of Lin by) seems to partake 
both of the peaceful country behind it and of the 
busy colliery district which it overlooks. The 
church stands away from the village (take the last 
gate on the left at the top of the village before the 
road bends to the right) and can only be described 
as quaint. It is beautifully situated, but does not 
share that beauty. It was rebuilt with the excep- 
tion of the I4th-cent. tower in 1795 by the Hon. 
Frederick Montagu, who in 1787 had built the 
adjacent Hall. The present dedication is to St 
James, but the older one of St Helen is found in 
wills at York. That there is some ground for the 
modern dedication is proved by the small figure 
over the south door. This, the only fragment of 
the Norman church, is a representation of St 
James with his pilgrim's staff. The E.E. font 
gave way to a Puritan apology in the form of a 
basin. We are reminded that Papplewick was 
in Sherwood Forest by the presence, both in 
the church and in the porch, of incised slabs 
commemorating the ironworker with his bel- 
lows, the chief forester with his bow, and the 
woodward with his knife. Note ( 1 ) two 
pieces of i^th-cent. stained glass of especial 
merit; (2) the family pew with fireplace. 
There were once large flax mills at Papple- 
wick, and a considerable number of pauper 
boys were drafted in from London workhouses, 

155 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

but the long hours and poor living caused a very 
heavy mortality, and the Linby registers contain 
the frequent entry " a London boy." 

Perlethorpe (3 \ m. N. of Ollerton) lies close to 
Thoresby House. It has a fine modern church 
built in 1876 by the third Earl Manvers, to whom 
there is a brass inside. The registers date from 
1528. 1 (See Carburton.) 

Pleasley Hill (3 m. N.W. of Mansfield) is a 
cluster of cottages by the side of the Meden, which 
here forms the border between Notts, and Derby- 
shire. In Pleasley Park are earthworks, believed 
to be of Roman origin, and here in 1786 a Roman 
villa was unearthed. 

Plumtree (R. Station) has given its name to a 
family which has played an honourable part in the 
history of the town of Nottingham. The church 
(St Mary) is mainly E.E. in character. The 
base of the tower is Norman, but when being 
rebuilt in 1906 some Saxon work was uncovered, 
and the Perp. chancel contains a sedilia. The 
north aisle was rebuilt in 1879 with stones from 
the old Trent Bridge at Nottingham. The in- 
terior has been somewhat spoilt by painting. 
Note the gargoyles of the nave. 

Radford (R. Station and trams) is a squalid 
artisan portion to the west of the city of Notting- 
ham. 

Radford. (See also Worksop Priory.) 

Radcliffe-on-Soar (ij m. N. of Kegworth 
Station) straggles beside the green meadows that 
fringe the peaceful river. The church (Holy 

1 As a matter of fact the keeping of registers did not 
begin officially till 1538, so that any entries prior to that 
year are not part of the register proper. 

156 



PERLETHORPE— RAINWORTH 

Trinity) is mostly unrestored and has a tower 
(c. 1200) and a nave and chancel of the first half 
of the 13th cent. There are some good Dec. 
windows in the aisles, of which the north aisle 
has been rebuilt lately. There is a fine series of 
tombs of the Sacheverell family. The recess to 
the north of the altar is probably a founder's 
tomb used (as was often the case) for the sepul- 
chral rites at Easter. 

Radcliffe-on- Trent (R. Station) is a village of 
little interest with a modern church. The river 
at this point is of much charm and beauty. 

Ragna/l (2 m. N. of Fledborough) is of no 
interest. Its church (St Oswald) should be dedi- 
cated to St Leonard. 

Hampton (3 m. S.W. of Cottam, a footway 
across the fields reduces this distance by a half) 
has passed through the hands of many well-known 
families. The De Ramptons passed it on to the 
Maulovells, who handed it on to the Stanhopes, 
and from them it went by marriage to the Babing- 
tons, who in their turn were succeeded by the 
Eyres, a family of soldiers, in whose hands it now 
is. Of the old hall, built temp. Henry VIII., 
nothing remains except the entrance gateway with 
its heraldic bearings. The family removed to 
Grove about 1730 and the old hall was taken 
down, but on their return in 1853 a new house 
was erected in the Elizabethan style. The church 
(All Saints) contains numerous memorials of the 
families above mentioned. Note (1) Norman 
font with arcading ; (2) small hagioscope ; 
(3) south door with the heads of a king and 
queen, perhaps Henry III. and his wife. 

Rainwortk is now a small hamlet with a railway 

Hi 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

station. A little stream, which can be jumped 
with ease, is all that remains of the " Old Idle," 
as the Rainworth Water used to be called. Those 
who ramble to its source near Fountain Dale 
(and few more delightful walks can be found) 
will notice that it was once much broader, and 
that the ground on either bank was of a marshy 
nature. (Permission should be obtained as most 
of this walk is private.) In Bede's "Ecclesiastical 
History " the following passage occurs :— 

" For as soon as the ambassadors were returned 
home, he [Redwald] raised a mighty army to 
make war on Ethelfrid ; who, meeting him with 
much inferior forces (for Redwald had not given 
him time to gather all his power), was slain on 
the borders of the Kingdom of Mercia, on the 
east side of the river that is called Idle. In this 
battle, Redwald's son, called Regnhere, was killed." 

Or, to quote Henry of Huntingdon, " Amnis 
Idle Anglorum sanguine sorduit." The date was 
617. Hitherto it has been supposed that this 
battle was fought at Eaton, or Idleton as the old 
maps have it, 2 m. S of Retford, but the following 
data lead us to think that the battle took place 
at Rainworth: — (1) the name Rainworth — i.e. 
Regnhere's wath or ford — is a likely name for 
the place where the victorious king's son was 
slain ; (2) the suitability of the ground for the 
encounter, as far as we can judge from the meagre 
accounts that survive. Redwald would advance 
from the east, and appears to have taken Ethel- 
frid unawares on the east bank of the river — i.e. 
with a river and marshes behind him ; (3) the 
stream was called the " old Idle " in medieval 
times. This new theory is put forward tenta- 

158 



RANSKILL— RETFORD, EAST 

tively in the hope that it may serve to throw 
some light on this obscure Notts, battle. 

Ranskill (R. Station), with its obviously Danish 
name, was associated closely with the archbishops 
of York, and serves to remind us of the important 
part which the raven, Odin's bird, played in 
Norse mythology. 

Rempstone (3^ m. S.E. of East Leake) is situ- 
ated on the main road from Nottingham to 
Loughborough. The church (All Saints), which 
is sometimes called St Peter-in-the-Rushes, was 
built in 1 77 1 to replace the old church which 
stood to the east of the village. On the floor 
of the church is a brass plate to the Davys family, 
of whom George Davys, Bishop of Peterborough 
(d. 1864), was tutor to Queen Victoria. 

Retford, East (R. Station), is a small market 
town and borough, which is believed to have 
received its first charter during the reign of 
Richard I., and which sent members to Parlia- 
ment as early as 13 15, though from 1330 to 
1 571 the practice was discontinued on the score 
of expense. The parliamentary history of Ret- 
ford during the last years of the 18th cent, and 
first quarter of the 19th cent, is not one of which 
any town can be proud, for this little town was 
one of the most corrupt in that period of 
parliamentary corruptness, and in 1827 it nar- 
rowly escaped disenfranchisement in favour of 
Birmingham. However it was decided to extend 
the electoral district to the Hundred of Bassetlaw, 
of which Retford is the capital. It is rather as 
a convenient centre for exploring the very in- 
teresting neighbourhood that Retford is worthy 
of attention than for any very patent merits of 

149 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

its own. Blyth, Scrooby, Mattersey Priory, the 
Dukeries, and much beautiful and picturesque 
country are all to be found within easy distance. 
For the most part Retford has a clean, modern 
appearance, but contains few objects of any great 
interest. In the market-place is a stone, known 
as the Broad Stone, which was probably the base 
of a cross standing on an eminence known as 
Dominie Cross, formerly called Est-croc-sic. It 
is believed to have been one of four crosses, 
two others of which may be now seen in the 
churchyards at West Retford and Ordsall, though 
what purpose they served is not known. In 
the town hall, a modern building, are some 
interesting historical portraits and the fine cor- 
poration regalia, given chiefly during the 17th 
cent. The large cruciform church (St Swithun) 
was founded by Roger, Archbishop of York, in 
1258. It has suffered much from fire and other 
misfortunes, which have caused it to be almost 
entirely rebuilt and restored. The Free Grammar 
School was founded in 1552 by Edward VI. In 
Carolgate (Carrhill Gate) is an almshouse founded 
by Richard Sloswicke in 1657. 

Retford, West (R. Station), which joins East 
Retford across the Idle, contains the Great 
Northern Railway Station. The Church of St 
Michael has a grand early i/j-th-cent. tower and 
spire, and good stone groined south porch. There 
was formerly a chapel dedicated to St Oswald in 
the south aisle. To the south of the church is 
Trinity Hospital, founded by John Barrel, who 
died in 1665. There are very pleasant walks along 
the banks of the Idle, especially in the direction 
of Bolham, which is included within the borough. 

160 




ffim#t: 



RETFORD, WEST— RUFFORD ABBEY 

Rolleston lies quite close to its station, which 
is the junction of the Southwell and Mansfield 
branch with the main line from Nottingham to 
Lincoln (M.R.). The village is very pleasantly 
placed in the low-lying land which borders the 
Trent, and commands pleasant views, especially to 
the north, where Upton is visible on the slope of 
the hill. The church is a very interesting one, with 
a nave of good, though varied, I3th-cent. work, 
and a handsome eight-pinnacled tower. There 
are traces of herring-bone masonry in the north 
aisle. Perhaps the most interesting objects in the 
building are two carved Saxon stones. Note the 
large number of incised slabs, many of rich design, 
both inside and built into the exterior walls. 
The stump of the village cross still remains. 
There was formerly a residence of the Nevilles 
here. 

Ruddington (R. Station) is one of the largest 
villages in the neighbourhood of Nottingham, 
and it owes its rapid growth in no small measure 
to the recent construction of the G.C.R., 
which has a station here. The good modern 
church was built in 1887. 

Rufford Abbey (2 m. S.W. of Ollerton. Not 
open to visitors except in special circumstances) 
is now the seat of Lord Savile, who has the 
yearly honour of receiving a visit from his 
Majesty the King during the week of Doncaster 
Races. Here an Abbey of the Cistercian Order 
was founded in 11 48 by Gilbert de Gaunt, Earl 
of Lincoln, and colonised from Rievaulx. At the 
Dissolution the abbey passed to the Earl of 
Shrewsbury. Little of the old buildings remains 
except the refectory, now the servants' hall. 

L l6l 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Royalty frequently visited here in Stuart times, 
for the abbey was found to be very conveniently 
placed for hunting in the neighbouring Forest. 

Saundby (3 m. S.W. of Gainsborough) is a 
small village well hidden in trees. The nave of 
the church belongs to the Trans, period and there 
is an alabaster monument to Henry Helwys, 1599, 
" Sometyme lorde of this mannoi." In the nave 
is a mutilated effigy of a knight of the early 
14th cent. The entrance to the churchyard is 
difficult to find for it lies hidden in the neighbour- 
ing farmyard, whence a small door set in a high 
wall will give access. 

Saxendale ( 1-^- m. W. of Bingham) is a hamlet 
of the parish of Shelford on the main road between 
Nottingham and Bingham. Its name is interesting 
and suggestive, and it was a place of some worthi- 
ness in the nth cent. It came into the possession 
of Shelford Priory, and so passed to the Stanhopes, 
who pulled down the chapel early in the 17 th 
cent. The site is approximately indicated by the 
name " Old Chapel Farm." The font is now in 
Carlton Church (near Nottingham). 

" The fairest mile within the vale 
Is that 'twixt Bingham and Saxendale." 

South Scarle (3 m. N. of Collingham) lies on 
the boundary of Notts, and Lincolnshire, and 
possesses a church (St Helen) of much beauty and 
interest. The two western arches on the north side 
of the nave are unusually rich examples of late 
Norman work. The greater part of the remainder 
of the church dates from the 13th cent. Note 
(1) I5th-cent. screen ; (2) fine I3th-cent. double 

162 



SAUNDBY— SCREVETON 

piscina ; (3) incised effigy of Sir William Mering, 
1 510. Until 1 87 1 there was a carved pew known 
as that of the " Knights of Eagle Hall." At Eagle 
near by in Lincolnshire there was a Preceptory of 
the Knights Templars who are said to have held 
the lordship of Scarle. 

Scarrington (1 m. N. of Aslockton) possesses a 
church (St John of Beverley) of some little interest, 
with work of the E.E. and Dec. periods. Note 
(1) west door with ball-flower ornament; (2) 
font, 1662. The village is quietly pretty and 
possesses a fine medieval circular stone dovecote, 
now in the farmyard of the former manor house. 

Scqfton. (See Osherton Hall.) 

Screveton (5 m. N. of Bingham) almost joins 
the straggling village of Car Colston. The church 
(St Wilfrid) is largely of I3th-cent. date and 
contains several very noteworthy features : the 
rich Norman font, the interesting misericords, 
and the remarkable Whalley monument under the 
tower, with the cfRgy of Richard Whalley, who 
died in 1583. Carved in bold relief will be seen 
his three wives and twenty-five children. Space 
does not permit us to trace the careers of the 
various members of this family, but it will suffice 
to mention the names of Richard the politician, 
and Edward the Regicide, while Henry Garnet the 
Jesuit is believed to have been a Whalley. Note 
old chest. Close to Screveton church, though in 
Car Colston parish, is all that remains of the 17th- 
cent. brick house known as Brunsell Hall. The 
Brunsells were connected by marriage with 
Christopher Wren. Dr Brunsell, Rector of 
Bingham during the Commonwealth, " is said to 
have been one of the last men to lay a ghost 

163 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

officially." An account of this proceeding may be 
read in the Transactions of the Thoroton Society, 
1908. 

Scrooby (R. Station) is known to all the world as 
the home, par excellence, of the Pilgrim Fathers. 
But were it not for this, the little village, which 
huddles beside the Ryton rivulet, would have some 
claim to fame, for here the Archbishops of York 
had a palace. Wolsey spent some months here in 
1530, when his splendid course was almost run, 
and Henry VIII. is known to have spent a night 
here. But all this fades into insignificance beside 
the fact that this was the home of William 
Brewster. After Henry VIII. 's reign the palace 
seems to have fallen into gradual decay, and 
eventually we find young Brewster's father living 
here as postmaster. His duty was to supply horses 
for travellers between Tuxford and Doncaster. 
At first his son William entered the service of 
Mr Davison, Secretary of State to Queen Elizabeth. 
Davison's disgrace led to Brewster's return to 
Scrooby in 1597, after which he helped his father, 
till the latter's death in 1590. Young Brewster 
failed at first to secure the post, but eventually did 
so, retaining it till 1607. Here he developed 
Puritanic principles, which were no doubt fostered 
by Richard Clifton, the venerable Rector of Bab- 
worth, and, before long, services were held at 
Brewster's house and here met that little band at 
whose humble shrine so many Americans come 
yearly to worship. Brewster, with William 
Bradford of Austerfield, Richard Clifton of Bab- 
worth, John Smyth of Gainsborough, John 
Robinson of Norwich, Richard Bernard of 
Worksop, Richard Jackson and Robert Rochester 

164 



SCROOBY 

of Scrooby were the supports of this little com- 
munity of Brownists, or Separatists as they were 
afterwards called. Harassed at home, they followed 
the example of their neighbouring fellow-thinkers at 
Gainsborough and fled to Holland in 1606. Here 
at Leyden, two years later, Richard Clifton died. 
Holland did not suit them, for the fact that the 
country had been the fighting ground of Europe 
for many years had lowered the moral standard 
of its inhabitants, and also these Englishmen were 
afraid that they would cease to be English if they 
remained in Holland much longer. James I.'s 
Declaration of 161 8 seemed to take away the last 
hope they had of ever returning to England, and 
preparations were made -to find a new home in the 
West. On 6th September they left Leyden and 
sailed for Plymouth, a little band of 100 men, 
women, and children, on board the Mayflower. 

Such is the story of the Pilgrim Fathers. There 
remains little enough for visitors to see. The 
house where Brewster lived is on the right-hand 
side as you leave the station, but little if any of the 
original building remains. One shilling is the 
charge made for visiting it and for the quite unre- 
liable information that Brewster sat in such-and- 
such a room, etc. The former tenants of the 
house inform us that, during their twenty years' 
residence, they were never able to determine any- 
thing definite about the house and that such 
information as is now obtainable is manufactured 
for the benefit of Americans. Scrooby exists on 
Americans, who make it one of their principal 
visiting places in England. Little enough remains 
of the church except some old woodwork said to 
be Brewster's pew. The font has gone to America 

165 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

and the stocks were purchased for ^5. Visitors 
treasure even ivy leaves, while the picture postcard 
merchant does a roaring trade. 

Selston (1 m. E. of Pye Hill Station) occupies 
a site on the top of a hill and from the churchyard 
there is an extensive view. The church serves a 
wide district of scattered miners' cottages. It is 
dedicated to St Helen and has a north nave arcade 
of the end of the 12th cent., while the rest of 
the structure, with the exception of a few later 
insertions, was built in the 13th cent. Note (1) 
the Norman font ; (2) the Willoughby tomb, 
1630 ; (3) the curious incised slabs, notably one 
of a priest in the chancel and one of extraordinary 
design under the tower. At the time of the 
Commonwealth the rector, the Rev. Charles 
Jackson, was evidently not a man of peace, for in 
the Quaker records we read : " 1660 2nd April. 
Eliz. Hooton [see Skegby] passing quietly on the 
road was met by one Jackson, priest of Selston, 
who abused her, beat her with many blows, knocked 
her down, and afterwards put her into the water." 
In the churchyard is buried Dan Boswell, " King 
of the Gipsies," whose epitaph reads : 

" I've lodged in many town, 
I've travelled many a year, 
But death at length has brought me down 
To my last lodging here." 

Serlby Park. (See Harwortb.) 

Shelford (2J m. N.E. of RadclifFe-on-Trent), 
which is situated in a very beautiful part of the 
Trent Valley, presents a charming picture as seen 
from the Malkin Hills on the road from Radcliffe. 
There was a small Augustinian Priory (founded 

166 



SELSTON— SHELFORD 

temp. Henry II. by Ralph Hauselin) here, but no 
trace of it remains. On its site was built the 
manor house, which was captured during the 
Civil War by Colonel Hutchinson after a bloody 
siege and storm in which its commander, Philip 
Stanhope, was slain (October 1645). The present 
manor house is modern. The church (Sts Peter 
and Paul) is interesting architecturally as well as 
on account of the Stanhope tombs, which were 
removed from the chancel to the south aisle of the 
nave at the general restoration in 1 877-1 878. The 
nave is of late 1 3th-cent. date, and the aisles, which 
belong to the 14th cent., have windows of varied 
and beautiful design, though considerably restored. 
The west door and the tower arch have good 
examples of late Dec. mouldings (r. 1340),. The 
north doorway belongs to the Perp. and the clere- 
story to the Tudor period. The font is dated 
1662. The chief centre of interest lies in the 
Stanhope chapel at the east end of the south aisle, 
now enclosed by a screen made in 1 877-1 878 from 
the timbers of the old roof. Note (1) the 
wall slab to Sir Michael Stanhope and the alabaster 
monument to his wife. Sir Michael's half-sister 
was the wife of Lord Protector Somerset ; ( 2 ) the 
large mural slab which commemorates, among other 
members of the Stanhope family, the fourth Earl 
of Chesterfield, whose reputation as a wit and 
writer of letters is great ; at his death in 1773 
he was buried in Audley Street Chapel, London, and 
later removed here ; ( 3 ) the mural monument to 
Lady Georgiana West by Chantrey, 1825 ; (4) the 
portion of a pre-Norman cross shaft now on the 
sill of the east window of the Stanhope Chapel. 
We cannot do better than quote the late Mr 

167 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Romilly Allen's opinion of this most interesting 
piece of work. After referring to the intensely 
Scandinavian character of the work and the pecu- 
liar form of the nimbus round the head of the 
figure, " which is exactly like those on the crosses 
at Leeds and Nunburnholme in Yorkshire," he 
continues : " I should think that the object held by 
the Infant Saviour is a book, although it is a little 
doubtful. It is worthy of notice that both at 
Shelford and Nunburnholme the Infant Saviour is 
shown without any nimbus. The figure on the 
other face appears to be either one of the Cherubim 
or perhaps the Angel symbol of St Matthew. An 
ordinary Angel would only have two wings." 

Shelton (2 m. S.W. of Cotham Station) is an 
unpretentious little place pleasantly situated on a 
ridge overlooking the river Smite. The church 
(St Mary) is very interesting. It was built at the 
end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th cent., 
and has suffered little from restorations. Note 

( 1 ) two Saxon carved stones, shaped like coffins ; 

( 2 ) Warburton memorials ; ( 3 ) tablet to the father 
of Dr Thomas Seeker, Archbishop of Canterbury. 
(See Sibthorpe and Granby.) 

Sherwood Forest. To the average modern 
mind a forest is a large accumulation of trees, but 
as this is by no means correct we may be excused 
if we explain exactly what a forest was. In Dr 
Cox's " Royal Forests of England " we learn that 
it " was a portion of territory consisting of extensive 
waste lands, and including a certain amount of 
both woodland and pasture, circumscribed by 
defined metes and bounds within which the right 
of hunting was reserved exclusively to the king, 
and which was subject to a special code of laws 

168 



SHELTON— SHERWOOD FOREST 

administered by local as well as central ministers." 
The extent of Sherwood Forest, or Nottingham 
Forest as it was originally called, is determined 
for us by the numerous perambulations which 
took place beginning in the year 1232. These 
commenced at Coningeswath (or the king's ford), 
now marked on the maps as Conjure Alders, 
where an old road crosses the river Meden between 
Perlethorpe and Bothamsall. Roughly stated, the 
boundaries were Coningeswath to Wellow and 
then southwards to the Doverbeck and then by 
this stream to the Trent, up the Trent past 
Nottingham to the old mouth of the Leen near 
Wilford, up the Leen, through Annesley to 
Mansfield and so by Warsop back to Coningeswath. 
In all some 100,000 acres were included. 
Sherwood Forest was more wooded than were 
most of the forests, and its oaks were held in 
such good repute that they were frequently in 
demand for shipbuilding. It was not until the 
great parks began to be enclosed that the forest 
altered to any great extent. In 1683 the Earl 
of Kingston formed Thoresby Park, with an 
acreage of 2000. Shortly afterwards Clumber 
Park was formed, with an acreage of 3400, 
and bit by bit the old forest disappeared, 
the process being hastened by the Inclosure Acts 
of the end of the 18th. cent. Now Sherwood 
Forest, correctly speaking, is but a name and the 
herds of deer are but the noble descendants of 
royal ancestors. 

And what of Robin Hood ? We can all enjoy 
the Forest better if we believe in the merry 
pranks of the great outlaw, Friar Tuck, Little 
John, and the rest of the band. The cold facts 

169 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

of history cannot dispel our belief in his existence, 
and indeed Sherwood Forest would be like 
Hamlet without the moody Dane were it ever 
proved that Robin Hood never existed at all. He 
is the genius of the forest whose spirit still lurks 
in the deep glades or haunts the purlieus of the 
mighty oaks which are associated with his name. 
Were not he and Maid Marian married at 
Edwinstowe and did not Friar Tuck live near 
Fountain Dale r Disprove it who can and he 
will not have our thanks. Who has not heard of 
the Major Oak, the Shambles Oak or the Green- 
dale Oak, or Simon the Forester ? A very large 
percentage of those who visit Sherwood Forest 
make the Major Oak the first object of a pilgrim- 
age, fully believing that they are visiting the 
shrine of Robin Hood. The impressions of the 
great American writer, Washington Irving, will 
convey better than any words of ours the scenery 
of these woods. Writing of Birkland and Bilhagh 
in 1835 he says : "Here I was delighted to find 
myself in a genuine wild wood of primitive and 
natural growth, so rarely to be met with in this 
thickly peopled and highly cultivated country. 
It reminded me of the aboriginal forests of my 
native land. I rode through natural alleys and 
greenwood glades, carpeted with grass and shaded 
by lofty and beautiful beeches. What most 
interested me, however, was to behold around the 
mighty trunks of venerable oaks, the patriarchs of 
Sherwood Forest. They were shattered, hollow, 
and moss-grown, it is true, and their ' leafy 
honours ' were nearly departed ; but, like 
mouldering towers, they were noble and picturesque 
in their decay, and gave evidence, even in their 

170 



SHERWOOD FOREST 

ruins, of their ancient grandeur. As I gazed 
about me upon these vestiges of once f Merry 
Sherwood' the picturings of my boyish fancy 
began to rise in my mind, and Robin Hood and 
his men stand before me. 

" He clothed himself in scarlet then, 
His men were all in green ; 
A finer show throughout the world 
In no place could be seen. 

Good Lord 1 it was a gallant sight, 
To see them all in a row ; 
With every man a good broadsword 
And eke a good yew bow." 

" The horn of Robin Hood again seemed to 
sound through the forest. I saw his sylvan 
chivalry, half huntsmen, half freebooters, trooping 
across the distant glades, or feasting and revelling 
beneath the trees. I was going on to embody, in 
this way, all the ballad scenes that had delighted 
me when a boy, when the distant sound of a 
wood-cutter's axe roused me from my day dream. 
. . . The work of destruction was going on." 

We have entirely and intentionally refrained 
from telling the traveller where the best views 
may be seen or where the leafiest glades or finest 
trees are to be found. To enjoy Sherwood 
Forest one must wander aimlessly, taking each 
bypath as the spirit urges and keeping as far as 
possible from the main roads where the busy 
motors continually rush by, leaving their dusty 
trails behind. The well-known trees which we 
have mentioned are little if any better than many 
others which can be found, and the pleasure of 
coming upon a beautiful thing by chance is always 
greater than finding it when sought for. 

171 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Shireoaks (R. Station) is dominated by collieries. 
Near here the county boundary appears to have 
changed and the point where the famous Shireoak 
stood is now well within Notts. John Evelyn in 
" Sylva " speaks of this tree as dropping " into 
three Shires viz. York, Nottingham and Derby, 
and the distance from bough end to bough end 
is 90 feet. This circumference will contain near 
707 square yards sufficient to shade 235 horses." 
No trace of the tree remains. The church was built 
in 1862 by the Duke of Newcastle. 

Sibthorpe (4J m. N. of Aslockton) occupies 
an isolated position in a thinly wooded part of the 
county. Here was a college founded in the 14th 
cent., of which nothing remains ; to the east of 
the church is a very fine example of a circular 
stone dovecote, 98 ft. in circumference, of early 
I3th-cent. date. At the Dissolution it passed to 
Thomas Magnus (for his life only) and then the 
Whalleys. An interesting letter is extant giving 
reasons why Thomas Magnus found himself unable 
to entertain his patron Cardinal Wolsey. The 
church (St Peter) has one of the fine I4th-cent. 
chancels for which Notts, is renowned, besides an 
Easter Sepulchre of unusual design. The font is 
one of the series of Restoration fonts so common 
in these parts. Archbishop Seeker was born here 
(1693). 

Skegby (R. Station) is an uninteresting village 
built on the steeply sloping hills through which 
the youthful river Meden runs. The church ( St 
Andrew) has suffered much from the coal mining 
that has been carried on beneath it and a re- 
building has left little of interest. The I2th-cent. 
chancel arch is noteworthy, and the effigies sup- 

172 




SIBTHORPE. THE DOVECOTE 



SHIREOAKS— SOUTHWELL 

posed to be those of Edmund Spigurnell and his 
wife ( 1 296) are good, the costume of the former 
showing that he was an official of Sherwood Forest. 
An interesting member of this family was Henry 
Spigurnell, one of the two judges who, in 13 12, 
condemned Piers Gaveston. 

Skegby was an early meeting-place of Quakers 
in this district, the rendezvous being the house of 
Elizabeth Hooton, the preaching Quakeress, 
who joined George Fox in 1647 and afterwards 
accompanied him to America, where she died. 

Sneinton, now part of the city of Nottingham, is 
totally lacking in charm. Its church is modern 
but contains a fine series of misericords, purchased 
in 1848 from St Mary's Church, Nottingham. 

Sookholme (1 m. S.E. of Shirebrook Station) is 
very little known and yet it possesses a most 
interesting little church retaining many of the 
features of a small Norman chapel. Restorations 
and alterations have deprived it of about one- 
third of its nave, yet a good I2th-cent. chancel 
arch remains and much of the contemporary 
walling. Note ( 1 ) the bucket-shaped font ; 
(2) the rude sedilia ; (3) the wooden roof. 

Southwell (R. Station) has been claimed by 
certain of the older historians as the site of a 
Roman station, on account of some remains that 
had been unearthed on Burgage Hill. Its Roman 
name is unknown, if it ever had one, and its 
identification with Ad Pontem is quite incorrect. 
We learn from Bede that, in 627, Paulinus 

" A man whose aspect doth at once appeal 
And strike with reverence," 

baptised the men of Lindsey in the Trent at 

173 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Tiovulfingacester, which appears to have been 
lower down the Trent than Southwell. Camden, 
however, relates that Paulinus baptised the men of 
Nottinghamshire in the Trent and built a church 
at Southwell, so that perhaps there may have 
been two separate baptisms. This Southwell 
church would be a small wooden building, a 
shelter for the priests and a propagandist centre for 
the Trent Valley. Century follows century, and 
many great figures in history pass through South- 
well. Here archbishops of York, wearied with 
the affairs of Church and State, came to rest, and 
here too came Geoffrey Plantagenet, son of 
Henry II. and fair Rosamund, to be ordained 
priest (1189), the beginning of a career that 
ended in his occupying the archiepiscopal chair 
of York. A few years later the ambitious William 
Longchamp, Bishop of Ely, and regent during 
Richard I.'s absence from England, arrested his 
rival, Hugh de Puiset, Bishop of Durham, at 
Southwell. Sad memories remain of the great 
cardinal, Thomas Wolsey, who paid considerable 
attention to his manor here, though he did not 
visit it himself until the year 1530, when the 
clouds had already gathered round his lofty head, 
and when he left it was to set out on a journey 
which only ended with his life at Leicester Abbey. 
On his way to London in 1603 James I. 
admired Southwell Minster, and his unlucky son, 
Charles I., on 6th May 1646, surrendered himself 
into the hands of the Scottish Commissioners at 
Southwell, and, after resting for a while at the 
Saracen's Head (then the King's Arms), was con- 
ducted to the Scottish army, then encamped near 
Kelham. Between the years 1804 and 1807, 

174 



SOUTHWELL 

Lord Byron's mother lived at the white house 
with the projecting porch overlooking Burgage 
Green on the right as you climb the hill from the 
station. Here the poet came during his holidays. 

In 1768 Reginald SpofForth, a glee-writer of 
some note, was born at Southwell. His best- 
known work is " Hail, Smiling Morn." 

History of the Minster?- — In the absence of any 
one authentic record of the foundation of the first 
church here we are compelled to rely on histories 
whose divergence is very great, and while we 
cannot claim these accounts as authentic we are, 
on the other hand, unable to prove them incorrect. 
Four distinct foundations are recorded. The first 
is a pre-Saxon church, the second a church founded 
about 630 by St Paulinus, the third a companion 
church to St Wilfrid's famous buildings at Hexham 
and Ripon, though rather later in date — viz. c. 707, 
and the fourth a church which we are told was 
founded during the reign of King Edgar about 
958. Strikingly divergent though they are, these 
accounts may be reconciled with each other if we 
presume that before the arrival of the Saxons there 
was a Romano-British church here — not at all an 
impossible supposition — and that this church was 
destroyed by the heathen invaders. After St 
Paulinus had baptised the men of Lindsey at 
Tiovulfingacester — wherever it was — he appears 
to have baptised the people of Nottinghamshire 
in the Trent and to have founded the church at 
Southwell. We know that Paulinus had to flee 

1 The early history of the Minster must be dealt with 
cautiously and the account here given is based upon 
events which are believed to have happened. It is put 
forth merely as a suggestion and with all humility. 

W 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

before a revival of anti-Christian feeling, and it is 
not too much to presume that his church was de- 
stroyed, only to be rebuilt some few years later by 
St Wilfrid. The Danes next swept over this part 
of England, and that Southwell church continued 
to flourish is too much to suppose. What happened 
in 958 was probably that a refounding took place 
and Southwell was now first established as a 
Collegiate church with three prebends. Many 
who go to Southwell are unable to understand the 
nature of a college of secular canons, and perhaps 
a few words of explanation, extracted for the most 
part from Mr Livett's excellent " Handbook to the 
Minster," may not be out of place. Monks such 
as these of the Benedictine or Cistercian orders 
lived " strictly according to the regulus or rule of 
the order to which they were attached, wherefore 
they have been styled Regular clergy, to distinguish 
them from the Secular priests or parochial clergy, 
who, acknowledging no rule, except the law of the 
land, lived amongst the people and were often 
married men." However, colleges of secular 
priests existed, owning common property and 
worshipping in one church, but living with their 
families in their own private houses. " Every 
member of the Collegiate body was at the same 
time a canon and a prebendary. As a member of 
the Chapter he was called a canon and he was a 
prebendary in that he owned a prasbenda or pre- 
bend, that is to say, a separate estate." 

Having constructed a possible history of the 
minster up to the year 958 we can advance, feel- 
ing more sure of our ground. The Danish ravages 
of the years 972-1016 pauperised the Archbishopric 
of York to such an extent that the See of Worcester 

176 



SOUTHWELL 

was added in compensation. This gave Southwell 
the important position of half-way town between 
the extreme parts of the See. Early in the 12th 
cent, the vastness of the See of York necessitated a 
subdivision in order to facilitate such annual visits 
as those at Pentecost. Accordingly Southwell, 
Beverley and Ripon were raised to the dignity 
of mother churches of their districts. Coinciding 
with this change at Southwell we find that a large 
Norman church was built by Thomas II. of York, 
to be followed in the 13 th cent, by a rebuilding of 
the choir and the erection of a chapter-house. 
During this period — the 12th and 13th cent. — 
the influence of the Pope was great in the appoint- 
ment of canons, and in the scanty lists that have 
come down to us we notice a large number of 
foreign names. The building at Southwell was 
completed by the end of the 14th cent, and its 
future history may be briefly stated. In 1540 
the college voluntarily surrendered its property to 
Henry VIII., but almost immediately it was re- 
founded and re-endowed through the exertions of 
Archbishop Cranmer. It was even intended that 
it should become a bishopric, but the matter fell 
through, though the nomination of a bishop had 
been made. In 1 541 Edward VI. again suppressed 
the college, which was reinstated by Queen Mary 
and, being protected by her sister, it lasted until it 
was finally suppressed in 1 840-1 841. In 1884 
Derbyshire was taken from the See of Lichfield, 
and Notts., from that of Lincoln, and the two were 
formed into the See of Southwell, with the late 
Bishop Ridding as its first head. 

One further point in the history of the Minster 
is interesting, though obscure. Between the years 

M I77 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

iooo and 1030 a Pilgrims' Guide to the shrines of 
the saints in England was written, and in it we 
find mention of a St Eadburh, whose remains were 
at Southwell. Who this saint was we cannot say, 
though it is just possible that it may be Eadburh, 
daughter of Aldwulf, King of the East Anglians, 
and Abbess of Repton, a contemporary and fellow- 
worker with St Guthlac, who died in 714. The 
fact that these two Eadburhs are the only ones 
known to history does not of necessity prove them 
to have been one and the same person. 

Description of the Minster. — Beyond, perhaps, 
some fleeting glimpses of the pepper-box spires 
from the train, the visitor's first view of the 
Minster is of the west end, and he is liable to be 
somewhat disappointed, for there is a lack of 
dignity about this part of the building, induced 
no doubt by the lanky nature of the western 
towers and accentuated by the large Perp. 
window with its rather restless tracery. In order 
really to appreciate the beauty — for the beauty 
of the exterior is undeniable — the visitor should 
go immediately to the north-west corner of the 
churchyard. From here he will see, leaving the 
Chapter-house out of consideration for the moment, 
a fine specimen of a Norman church of the middle 
of the 1 2th cent. ; for to all intents and purposes 
these buildings are now as they were when com- 
pleted shortly before 11 50. Though the large 
Perp. window of the west end forces itself upon 
our attention we shall be better rewarded if we 
notice the richly decorated Norman door beneath 
and the arcading of the fifth storey of the twin 
towers. That on the north is interlacing work, 
while that on the south shows merely a series of 

178 




1 I 



SOUTHWELL 

pointed arches, and a comparison between the two 
has caused many to conclude incorrectly that here 
at any rate is an origin of the pointed arch. The 
nave and aisles are not very long, and the windows 
are of the small size employed by Norman work- 
men. The windows of the clerestory are circular, 
an unusual feature in Norman work. Beneath the 
roof of the aisles we note a series of small oblong 
windows which lights the triforium chamber, 
another very unusual feature. Above these two 
sets of windows is a characteristic nebuly moulding. 
The fine Norman two-storeyed North Porch is a 
prominent feature of the exterior from our point 
of view, and we must not fail to enter it and 
examine the deeply recessed doorway with its 
traceried i^th-cent. wooden door and the arcading 
at the sides and the plain barrel roof. The zigzag 
string-course, which is so in evidence, here passes 
round the Norman exterior in an almost unbroken 
line. The room above the porch was probably 
intended as a living-room for the sacrist, who would 
thus be at hand to ring the bells at the appointed 
hours. The dignified central tower harmonises 
excellently with the rest of the exterior as we see 
it from the north-west corner of the churchyard, 
and we cannot wish that it had been built other- 
wise. The north transept resembles the nave 
except for the large windows of the intermediate 
storey. Our eye now reaches the exquisite chapter- 
house, upon whose interior so much praise has 
been lavished ; but the exterior is not to be 
despised, for the geometrical windows (c. 1300) 
are of a delicate and beautiful design. We must 
now desert our point of view at the north-west 
corner and pass to the north-east corner of the 

179 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

churchyard, whence we shall have a view of quite 
a different character. Instead of the Norman 
choir, which we might quite easily have expected 
from our former position, we find work belonging 
to the 13th cent., when the E.E. style was at its 
best. We shall see the graceful lancets inter- 
spersed with buttresses which combine beauty 
with use and show a fine knowledge of how to 
employ decorative detail together with structural 
skill. The arrangements of the lancets at the east 
end is simple yet effective, reminding us not a little 
of the work at Rievaulx and Whitby Abbeys. Un- 
fortunately the pitch of the roof has been lowered, 
thus destroying that grandeur which a high-pitched 
roof imparts. Passing round towards the south 
side we note a projecting chapel, companion to that 
on the north side near the east end. The lines on 
the east wall of the south transept, whose segmental 
south doorway we should notice, mark the site of a 
transeptal chapel which was in all probability taken 
down when the present choir was built. The 
character of the south side of the nave is the same 
as that of the north, though here there is no porch. 
One modern feature of the exterior of the Minster 
we must deplore — to w T it, the presence of an iron 
chimney pipe, which even passes through the tracery 
of the window and adds an extremely incongruous 
feature. The Palace, which is on the south side 
of the Minster, has been rebuilt within recent years 
and now serves as the Bishop's Palace. It was 
originally built by Archbishop Kempe during the 
15th cent. 

Interior. — Though there are three entrances to 
the Minster a wise visitor will choose the west 
door, for by so doing he will obtain first a 

180 



SOUTHWELL 

comprehensive view of the Norman nave. At 
first the impression is of a certain squatness and 
heaviness which soon gives way before the realisa- 
tion of the undoubted majesty which this work 
possesses. As we advance up the nave, which is 
lighted, as it was never intended to be, by the 
large Perp. window at the west end and the 
smaller aisle windows of the same period, we 
shall observe the insignificance of the bases on 
which the short circular shafts stand, and we 
cannot fail to be impressed by the capitals decor- 
ated with variations of scallopwork, and the 
strong arches with their billet moulding and 
inner heavy roll mouldings. We shall notice 
next the characteristically English large open 
triforium chamber, which was undoubtedly in- 
tended to have an arcade inserted within the 
present arch, as at Romsey Abbey, for by this 
means alone can we explain the projecting pieces 
of stone. Above the triforium are the extremely 
simple clerestory openings of the passage, lighted 
from without by the circular windows we noticed 
on the exterior. On each side of the nave, which 
is of eight bays and measures 136 ft. in length, 
is an aisle lighted by windows of Norman and Perp. 
character, though one alone of the former, that 
nearest the north-west tower, is original. The 
most interesting feature to observe in the aisles 
is the vaulting which, though by no means the 
earliest rib-vaulting in England, is yet of such 
an early date that the builders are still to a large 
extent experimenting with this, one of their 
most difficult problems. At the west end of the 
south aisle was a chapel originally built towards 
the end of the 13th cent., and known as Booth's, 

181 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

because in the 1 5th cent, the Archbishop of that 
name added to it and founded two fresh chantries. 
Perhaps the finest work in the whole nave has 
been left for consideration to the last. The tower 
arches, with their deeply cut cable moulding, will 
attract attention on account of their grandeur and 
richness, and indeed the builders of Southwell were 
very fond of this moulding, for it appears on most 
of the pillars of the nave, sometimes plain and 
sometimes ornamented. The date of the nave 
may approximately be fixed at 1108, though it 
was not finished till 114.0. It appears to have 
been built from east to west, so that the west 
front and north porch are of slightly later char- 
acter than the rest. There is only one monu- 
ment of any size in the nave. It is to some 
unknown person, and belongs to the end of the 
1 2th cent. It is now placed in the north aisle. 
The Transepts are contemporary with the nave, 
and compare very favourably with it. Originally 
there was one eastern chapel in each transept ; that 
on the south has entirely disappeared, while that 
on the north was replaced about 1260 by a chapel, 
which is now used as a vestry. Against the north 
wall of this transept is the alabaster altar tomb 
with recumbent effigy of Archbishop Sandys, who 
died at Southwell in 1588. Originally this tomb 
was in the choir, but it was moved to its present 
position during the 1 8th cent. Archbishop Sandys 
was born in 1 5 19, lived as an exile during the 
reign of Mary, and on his return was made Bishop 
of Worcester in 1559, Bishop of London in 1570 
and Archbishop of York in 1575. In 1587 he 
earned the grateful thanks of all by preventing 
the alienation of the Minster into private hands. 

182 



SOUTHWELL 

The chief interest of this tomb lies in the fact 
that it " is the only instance in which I have 
found the vestment or chesible on any effigy of 
a prelate, bishop, or other dignitary, or of the 
clergy of the Reformed Church of England. The 
effigy is therefore, I think, perfectly unique " 
( Bloxam ) . 

Before passing into the choir three things re- 
main to be noticed : (i) the tympanum of the 
doorway in the north transept, which repre- 
sents David rescuing a Lamb from a Lion, and 
St Michael and a Dragon ; (2) the dignified 
triforium arches on the east side of both tran- 
septs ; (3) the stone rood-screen, which is one 
of the best of its kind in England, and may be 
compared with the Percy Tomb at Beverley, 
belongs to the early part of the 14th cent. It 
will be considered further when we have entered 
the choir. 

The Choir was built between the years 1230 and 
1250, during the archiepiscopate of Walter Gray, 
and was thus the second choir built at Southwell 
within a hundred years. The Norman choir 
was but little more than half the size of the 
present one, and, with the increase of dignity 
of the Minster as mother church of Notts., it 
was evidently found to be too small. If we look 
at the south arcade we shall notice that the arch 
of the third bay from the east is lower than its 
fellows, and we shall also see a corresponding 
irregularity in the string-course above the north 
arcade. A line drawn at this point across the 
choir will mark the eastern termination of the 
Norman Minster. The reason for these irregu- 
larities seems to be that, whereas the eastern bays 

183 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

were first built, the Norman work was left stand- 
ing and was in constant use. This necessity for 
using a building even when alterations were in 
progress presented many difficulties, and it would 
seem that the Norman choir hampered the work- 
men and prevented them from obtaining a just 
alignment, so that when the Norman work was 
taken down and the new choir all exposed it was 
found that this irregularity occurred at the junction 
of the eastern and western parts of the work. 
This faultiness of measurement may often be 
noticed in our large churches, and this case at 
Southwell is by no means unique. The height 
of the central tower regulated the height of 
the choir, and this led to the adoption of the 
ingenious device of combining the triforium and 
clerestory under one arch, and thus giving a sense 
of height to an otherwise low building. The 
arrangement of the vaulting shafts is also ingenious, 
and the curious way in which the central rib is 
brought down between the upper lancets of the 
east end is striking, though perhaps not altogether 
pleasing. At any rate it determined that the 
number of lancets should be even. In the small 
chapel on the south side of the south choir aisle 
is the tomb of an unknown ecclesiastic. The 
Choir-screen and the Sedilia are worthy of the 
greatest admiration. The former bears some re- 
semblance in detail to the Percy Tomb at Beverley, 
and was no doubt from the same workshop, which, 
originally situated at York, sent its craftsmen all 
over the diocese. The sedilia has been consider- 
ably restored, but its beauty is undeniable. Too 
many theories have been put forward to explain 
its quintuple nature for us to venture to express 

184 



SOUTHWELL 

an opinion. The brass lectern [c. 1500) be- 
longed to Newstead Priory, and at the Dissolution 
it was thrown into the lake there, with papers 
enclosed in its bowl. It was recovered during 
the 1 8th cent. (See Newstead.) 

The Vestibule to the Chapter-house is reached 
through a richly ornamented double doorway in 
the north choir aisle. Here we meet with work 
which seems to mark the transition between the 
E.E. choir and the early Dec. Chapter - house. 
Every one of the carvings here is a work of 
art, whether they be heads or foliage. One of 
the forms requires some explanation. On the 
west side of the passage opposite to the doorway 
leading into the little sunless court are carved 
two heads which seem to be intended to show 
a secular monk pulling a regular by his tonsure 
— a reminder to us that there was often little 
love lost between these two divisions of the clergy. 

The Chapter - house is entered by a doorway 
whose grandeur and delicate carving is such that 
it has been acclaimed as " One of the most 
beautiful specimens within the range of Gothic 
art." So much has been said in praise of the 
interior of this Chapter-house that it will suffice 
here to draw the visitor's attention to the 
resemblance between it and its fellow at York, 
which is to some extent a copy. If we examine 
the tracery of the windows and the mouldings 
of the arcade, we shall come to the conclusion 
that the work was carried out between the years 
1 290- 1 300. Perhaps nowhere more strikingly 
than here has the attempt to represent nature 
in stone been successful. This revolt from the 
conventional treatment of foliage was a dangerous 

185 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

example to set before less skilled workmen, and 
it had no doubt a great influence on the sculpture 
of the early years of the 14th cent. The beauti- 
ful vaulted roof and the sense of spaciousness 
gained by the absence of a central pillar are 
worthy of note. The glazing of the church 
calls for little mention. Beyond some collected 
fragments in a window of the south aisle the 
best glass is in the Chapter-house. Some of this 
is I3th-cent. glass, while that which is later is 
said to have come from some of the neighbour- 
ing churches. The east window of the choir is 
filled with Cinque-Cento glass which was origin- 
ally in the Temple Church in Paris and, being 
turned out at the Revolution, was rescued by 
Mr Gaily Knight and given to Southwell by 
him in 18 18. Some of the figures have been 
said to represent contemporary historical person- 
ages. 

Stanford-on-Soar (z\ m. N. of Loughborough) 
is situated on the southern slope of a well-wooded 
hill. The church (St John the Baptist), with a 
singularly fine tower, is a handsome 14th and 
15 th cent, building which has been well 
restored recently. Note (1) brass to priest 
in the chancel, one of the two ecclesiastical 
brasses in the county ; (2) effigy of civilian with 
a purse, sword and dagger, and holding his heart 
in his hands — known in the village as " The 
Indian"; (3) low-side window. In the 16th 
cent, the manor passed into the hands of Robert 
Raynes, the queen's goldsmith, who built the first 
Hall on the present site, about ij m. from the 
village. By sale the estate passed into the Lewis 
family, and thence by inheritance to the Dash- 

186 



STANFORD-ON-SOAR— STAPLEFORD 

woods, by whom it was sold. The present owner 
is Mr Peacock. The road leading to East Leake 
is one of great beauty. 

Stanton-on-the-Wolds (ij m. S.S.E. of Plum- 
tree) was once larger than it is now, and has quite 
the appearance of having been shrivelled up by 
the wintry winds, which must be very noticeable 
in this singularly bleak situation. The story goes 
that at some distant date this village and that of 
Thorpe-in-the-Glebe were much devastated by a 
great hailstorm. The small church (St John the 
Baptist) was carefully restored in 1889. There is 
a much mutilated Norman font. 

Stapleford (R. Station) is a very ugly manufac- 
turing village on the western border of the county, 
facing the Derbyshire village of Sandiacre across 
the river Erewash. Close to the church is the 
fine Saxon cross, carved on one face with the 
symbol of St Luke, while on the other sides is 
conventional decoration. Authorities differ as to 
the date of this work, but we may safely assume 
that it is not later than the 9th cent. The church 
(St Helen) has a I2th-cent. tower, a north arcade 
(1250-1270) and a south arcade (1300). There 
are tombs of members of the Tevery family. Sir 
John Borlase Warren was the son of Arthur 
Warren of Stapleford. His successful career on 
the sea during the war with France at the end of 
the 1 8th and beginning of the 19th cent, has 
given him a place among the many heroes of 
those stirring times. For many years he lived at 
Stapleford and represented the town of Notting- 
ham in Parliament. Visitors to Stapleford should 
cross the border into Derbyshire in order to see 
the fine church at Sandiacre. 

187 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Staunton (2 m. S. of Cotham) stands in the ex- 
treme south-east corner of the county in the midst of 
a well-wooded district. The Staunton family have 
held the manor from a date prior to the Conquest 
until recent times. The Hall is one of the most 
picturesque buildings remaining in the county. 
Here Sir Walter Scott stayed, and reproduced the 
village, under the name of Willingham, in " The 
Heart of Midlothian." Being situated partly in the 
hundred of Newark and partly in that of Bing- 
ham, the village possessed a church and a chapel 
both in the same enclosure to serve the two 
divisions. Nothing now remains of the chapel, 
which was pulled down in 1827. In 1853 the 
church was entirely rebuilt and as much of the 
old work as possible was retained. This work 
was carried out in a very judicious manner, and the 
church as it stands to-day is a beautiful and in- 
teresting building. The north wall and arcade of 
the nave are the least restored portions, and the 
ogee-arched north door and the grotesques should 
be noted. The north aisle of the nave has been 
always known as "The Quire of St Lawrence," 
and here we find the numerous Staunton tombs. 
This family held their lands by the tenure of 
" Castle Guard," and a tower at Belvoir Castle 
still bears their name and commemorates their con- 
nection with that building. Note Norman font. 

There is a very pleasant walk (^ m.) over the 
fields to Kilvington and crossing the river Devon 
on the way. Another walk is to Three Shire 
Bush ( 1 m. ) . Starting from the Hall gate we turn 
first to the right and first right again and from the 
next signpost we obtain a very extensive and 
charming view. 

188 



STAUNTON— STOKE, EAST 

Stockwith, West (i m. E. of Misterton), stretches 
along the bank of the Trent which is tidal and at 
this point is joined by the Idle and the Chester- 
field Canal. Some large chemical works, just out- 
side, add an unpleasing feature to the surrounding 
landscape. The church was rebuilt in 1722. 

Stoke Bardolph (Gedling Station) is a small 
hamlet near Gedling. Here was once a castle 
of the Bardolph family. No trace remains. 
There is a large sewage farm here belonging to 
the Corporation of Nottingham. 

Stoke, East (4 m, S.W. of Newark), is the only 
village lying directly on the Fosse Way in all the 
course of that road between Newark and Six 
Hills. The church (St Oswald), which lies 
between the road and the river, has been largely 
restored and rebuilt and retains little of its old 
work. There is a small amount of old glass in 
the windows of the chancel. In the churchyard 
is buried the Rt. Hon. Julian, Baron Pauncefote 
of Preston, first English Ambassador to the U.S.A., 
who died in 1902. Adjacent are the Hall and 
park, which are the possessions of the Bromleys, a 
branch of the Smith family of banking fame. The 
Hall is at present the residence of Lady Pauncefote. 
In the park is the largest heronry in the county. 
East Stoke was the scene of that extremely bloody 
battle of Stoke Field, which on 16th June 1487 
finally quenched the flickering hopes of the 
Yorkists and put an end to that aristocratic quarrel 
known to history as the War of the Roses. The 
acknowledged unpreparedness of Richard III. for 
the fight at Bosworth led the Yorkists to think that, 
could they but gather forces of sufficient strength 
and find a leader of the blood royal, they might 

189 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

hope to oust Henry Tudor from his throne. No 
leader was forthcoming owing to Henry's astute- 
ness and foresight in getting all possible rivals into 
his own hands, and a pretender was pushed for- 
ward, one Lambert Simnel. Under the Earl of 
Lincoln the rebel forces marched on Newark, and 
the king hurried to meet them. The battle took 
place near East Stoke (the exact site seems doubt- 
ful) and resulted in the complete rout of Simnel's 
upholders. Especially fierce was the fight in what 
is now the Hall Gardens and the track leading down 
to Fiskerton Ferry, whither the rebels fled in the 
hope of finding safety on the farther bank of the 
Trent. The slaughter that took place here is said 
to have given this lane its name of Red Gutter. 
All the Yorkist leaders were slain, with the excep- 
tion of Simnel, whom Henry reserved for a menial 
office in his own household. The fate of Lord 
Lovel is uncertain, and has been the subject of 
much discussion. Out of a total of 16,000 
men, quite 6000 appear to have perished. Just 
to the east of the Fosse Way is a field called 
Deadman's Field in which 3000 men are said 
to have been buried. 

At East Stoke was born Dr John Lightfoot, an" 
erudite Hebrew scholar of the 17th cent. 

The road from East Stoke to Cotham should 
not be attempted by any except pedestrians for it 
grows beautifully less as it approaches Cotham 
and finally ends in a field where thistles flourish 
exceedingly. 

Stokeham (5 rri. N.E. of Tuxford) has an 
aisleless church in an extremely ruinous condition. 
A small portion has been boarded off at the east 
end and this is still used for divine service. 

190 



STOKEHAM— STURTON-LE-STEEPLE 

Strelley (3 m. E. of Ilkeston, but more con- 
veniently reached by road from Nottingham, N.W. 
5 m.) was well described by Mr Lawson Lowe in 
his guide-book to the county, as " a district of 
scattered houses embowered in foliage." From 
the time of Henry I. to that of Charles II. there 
were Strelleys in Notts., and the family was one 
of much importance. The Hall and church are 
well situated on the top of the hill. The Hall, 
which is the residence of Mr T. L. K. Edge, is a 
modern building said to incorporate some of the 
old Hall. The church (All Saints) was rebuilt 
in 1356 by Sir Sampson de Strelley. The chief 
treasures are the Strelley tombs and the well- 
preserved screen, which was boarded up until the 
Restoration and thus saved. Note (1) fragments 
of i/fth-cent. and Flemish glass; (2) the 
" Weepers " at the foot of the figures on the 
large canopied tomb, an unusual feature in the 
district; (3) the misericords; (4) the Jacobean 
pulpit. 

Sturton-le-Steeple (R. Station) lies on the line 
of the Roman road running from Lincoln to 
Doncaster, and known to-day on the Lincolnshire 
side of the Trent as Till Bridge Lane. In 1901 
the church (Sts Peter and Paul), with the exception 
of the massive and lofty tower crowned with 
twelve pinnacles, was destroyed by fire. Mr 
Hodgson Fowler was fortunately able to reconstruct 
it almost exactly, and the building is well worth a 
visit. In all probability the present chancel was 
the original Norman church, and about 1200 the 
nave was added at the west end. Considerable 
additions were made during the 14th cent. 
Beneath the tower are some of the monuments 

191 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

damaged by the fire. The female effigy is that 
of Lady Oliva (perhaps a member of the Thorn- 
haugh family), to whom the building of the Trans, 
nave was probably due. On the north side of 
the altar is the marble slab with the heraldic 
bearings of Sir Francis Thornhaugh, who, as a 
Parliamentarian leader, passed an eventful life. 
He was slain at the battle of Preston, 1648. 
Note (1) the Norman font, which came from 
West Burton church ; (2) Norman stones in 
vestry ; (3) pitch pipe. One mile south of 
Sturton is the hamlet of Fenton. Hardly any- 
thing remains of the mansion occupied in the 
17th cent, by the Thornhaughs. Previously the 
Fentons had dwelt there and two of them are not 
unknown to fame. Geoffrey Fenton (died 1608) 
was Principal Secretary for Ireland, while his 
brother Robert added his name to the list of those 
intrepid adventurers who, led by such men as 
Raleigh and Frobisher, explored the hidden parts 
of the world and fought against the power of 
Spain. 

Styrrup (3 m. S.W. of Bawtry) is a little over 
2 m. N. of Blyth and the road from the 
latter place approaches it by a slight rise from the 
flat land known as Whitewater Common, which 
was once a large mere. Just here, it seems certain, 
was one of the five licensed tournament fields in 
England. Tournaments are believed to have been 
introduced into this country during Stephen's 
stormy reign, and in order to facilitate the collec- 
tion of fees which came to the Crown from such 
encounters, and to regulate these meetings, 
Richard I. licensed five fields. These were ( 1 ) 
between Blyth and Tickhill ; (2) between Sarum 

192 



STYRRUP— SUTTON BONINGTON 

and Wilton ; (3) between Warwick and Kenil- 
worth ; (4) between Stamford and Warinford ; 
(5) between Brackley and Mixbury. That which 
concerns us is frequently spoken of as " Apud 
Blidam," and we have every reason to believe that 
it was situated on the Blyth side of the hamlet of 
Styrrup. A study of the lie of the land and the 
suggestive field names confirms this. Leaving 
Blyth for Harworth we go along the Bawtry road 
for a short distance to the point where the road 
branches, and following the left-hand branch 
towards Harworth we arrive -J m. farther on at 
another parting of the ways ; again w r e followed 
the left-hand road, this time towards Styrrup, and 
it is to the left of the road, between this turning 
and the hill just before Styrrup, that we must look 
for the lost tournament field. 

Sutton Bonington ( 1 m. from Kegworth and 
Hathern Stations) is formed by the amalgamation 
of the two villages of Bonington and Sutton- 
by-Bonington, It is pleasantly situated on the 
western slope of a hill on the bank of the Soar. 
The two original parishes remain to this day. 
The larger church (St Michael) was restored in 
1878, and the chancel rebuilt. It retains its 13th- 
cent. nave with the seats round the piers. The 
object of most interest to antiquaries is the 14th- 
cent. font with its three projecting brackets. It 
is believed that the larger projection was for 
the affusion bowl and the two smaller ones 
for the salt and candle respectively. Farther 
to the south is the second church (St Anne, 
one I4th-cent. bell), a small, towerless, ivy-clad 
structure with a nave built about 1320 and 
an E.E. chancel. There is a I5th-cent. effigy 

N 193 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

of a knight wearing the Yorkist collar of 
Suns and Roses. Repton Grange in this parish, 
which formerly belonged to Repton Priory, Derby- 
shire, is a most interesting old house, with re- 
mains of both the 14th and 15th cents. 

Sutton-cum-Lound (R. Station) possesses a 
church (St Bartholomew) restored in 1857, show- 
ing fine curvilinear tracery. Note ( 1 ) the triple 
sedilia ; (2) the porch with stone roof — a species 
not uncommon in this district ; (3) the bench 
ends and wooden south door ; (4) the curious 
niche outside the east wall of the chancel. The 
church at Lound is modern. 

Sutton-in-Ashfield (R. Station) is hardly a place 
to visit for pleasure, for modern buildings, tramways 
and collieries have done their best to rob it of any 
beauty it may once have possessed. The church 
(St Mary) has a nave whose north arcade was built 
about 1 1 80 while that on the south was erected 
shortly afterwards. ' The rest of the church is 1 3 th- 
cent. work. Note ( 1 ) the incised slab marking the 
burial place of a chief forester, whose symbols, a 
bow and arrow, appear ; (2) the old font. On a 
clear day there is a good view eastwards from the 
churchyard. 

Sutton-on-Trent (Crow Park Station is in the 
village). The church is largely 13th cent, in 
date, with a I4th-cent. south aisle and the 15 th- 
cent. clerestory. The Mering Chapel is a good 
piece of work. It is said, and not without some 
reason, to have been transported from Mering on 
the other side of the Trent. The excellent screen- 
work is worthy of much praise. 

Syerston (5^ m. S.W. of Newark) lies just off 
the Fosse Way and has barely 100 inhabitants. 

194 



SUTTON-CUM-LOUND— THORNEY 

The church (All Saints) comprises a I4th-cent. 
nave, aisles and chancel with a I3th-cent. tower. 
Note (i) pulpit, 1636 ; (2) I5th-cent. font. This 
village appears to have enjoyed almost entire im- 
munity from the plague, which, in 1646, must 
have almost depopulated the neighbouring village 
of East Stoke. So good repute had it that several 
couples from other villages came to be married at 
Syerston. 

T ever sal (R. Station) stands high above the 
surrounding country in a district where trees are 
plentiful and roads hilly. The manor passed from 
the Greenhalghs to the Molyneux and is now in 
the possession of the Earl of Carnarvon. The 
church (St Catherine) is of considerable interest 
on account of the very curious I2th-cent. south 
doorway, which provides plenty of material for 
the fancies of symbolists, and the magnificent 
family pew of the Molyneux, made, perhaps, in 
1684. The present church is largely of 1 3th-cent. 
date with a 1 5th-cent. tower, roof and east window. 
Note ( 1 ) Norman font ; (2)Greenhalgh and Moly- 
neux memorials ; (3) Jacobean communion-table. 

Thoresby (the house is not open to the public) 
is the most easily approached of all the great houses 
in Sherwood Forest. It is the seat of Earl 
Manvers. It is surrounded by a large park, con- 
sidered to be the best wooded of all these adjacent 
estates. Here Lady Mary Wortley Montague 
lived with her father, the Duke of Kingston. In 
1745 the house was burnt down, and a brick 
mansion put up in its place. This has fortun- 
ately been replaced by the present fine stone house. 

Thorney (4 m. E. of Clifton Station) has a 
modern church (St Helen) built in a style that 

195 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

exaggerates the grotesqueness so dear to later 12th- 
cent. builders. 

Thoroton (2% m. N.E. of Aslockton) gives its 
name to the family from which descended the 
Notts, historian, Robert Thoroton. The church 
(St Helen) is quite worth entering, though the 
keys must be sought for at the other end of 
the village — not at all an unusual thing by the 
way. The chancel has been rebuilt and the south 
porch is new, but the church has otherwise many 
points of interest. Note (1) late Norman north 
arcade and I4th-cent. south arcade; (2) remains 
of large Norman chancel archway ; ( 3 ) small 
lancet, splayed on outside, to vestry ; (4) circular 
Norman font ; (5) fine tower of three stages, late 
14th cent., with spire having three sets of dormer 
windows ; (6) remarkable niche 12 ft. 6 in. high 
on west side of tower. In the village are the 
remains of a I4th-cent. circular stone dovecote 
which threatens soon to be a thing of the 
past unless it is repaired. 

Thorpe (3- m. S.W. of Newark) is a secluded 
hamlet with a church which is visible on the 
east side of the Fosse Way just before travellers 
from Newark reach East Stoke. In the church 
(St Lawrence) are two mutilated effigies of 
Margaret de Thorpe (in the chancel) and her 
husband, Sir William de Thorpe (under the 
tower), who fought at Crecy and was present at 
the surrender of Calais to Edward III. shortly 
afterwards. The font is curiously composite and 
reminds one somewhat of the little bowl at 
Hoveringham. There is a fine inscribed silver 
chalice with lid presented by Henry Druell in 
1665 as a thankofTering for his safe return from 

196 



-I f 






PHURGARTON. PRIORY CHURCH 



THOROTON— THURGARTON 

London, where the plague was raging. Note the 
stoup in the porch. 

Thorpe-in-the-Glebe is no more than a name 
to-day but once it was a village of some size. It 
lay about I m. S. of Wysall. The site of its 
church may still be traced. It is said to have 
been destroyed by a great hurricane and hailstorm, 
but another writer attributes its decline to the 
Inclosure Acts. 

Thrumpton (i m. S. of Trent Station) is a 
pretty village on the right bank of the Trent, 
across which there is a ferry. The hall, the 
residence of the Rev. P. H. Douglas and his wife, 
Lady Byron, is a fine Jacobean house containing 
a remarkable staircase. The church (St Edmund) 
is of little interest, having been extensively restored 
in 1 87 1. There is a curious stone staircase at the 
east end of the nave, which was probably the stair- 
way to the rood-loft. When the lofty pulpit, 
erected in 1795, was removed at the recent restora- 
tion it was found that the village carpenter had 
placed a board beneath the flooring with the 
following inscription on it : — 

" A proud parson and a simple squire 
Bade me build this pulpit higher." 

Thurgarton (R. Station) is beautifully situated 
on the southern slope of a well-wooded hill. Here 
in 1 187, Ralph d'Eyncourt founded a Priory for 
Black Canons. The church as we see it to-day 
has been much rebuilt and only the three western 
bays of the nave, the northern tower and the 
beautiful western doorway — a piece of work with 
few equals in England — remain of the I3th-cent. 

197 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

building. The I3th-cent. undercroft remains 
beneath the adjoining house, which was erected 
in 1777 and was used by Dr Ridding, the first 
Bishop of Southwell, until his death a few years 
ago. In 1854 tne chancel of the church was 
rebuilt and as much as possible of the old work 
was re-erected. The altar-table and the sedilia 
are of I4th-cent. date, probably originally inserted 
when the church was altered in 1323. 

Tollerton may be reached by road from Plumtree 
Station (2 m.) or by a fieldpath from Edwalton 
(about 1 m.). It is situated 4 m. from Nottingham. 
Standing on a well-wooded slope it presents a very 
pleasant sight when the trees are in leaf. The church 
(St Peter) was rebuilt at the beginning of the 19th 
cent, in a very debased style. Its general appearance 
is incongruous. The gallery at the west end is 
furnished and provided with a fireplace. The 
Barry Mausoleum is at the east end of the south 
aisle. The chancel was rebuilt in 1842. Just 
inside the west entrance is a richly carved Norman 
piscina shaft. The numerous hatchments and 
shields make this church interesting to students 
of heraldry. The Hall built in the pseudo- 
Gothic style adjoins the church. 

Treswell (\\ m. S. of Leverton Station) has a 
church (St John the Baptist) with a good 14th- 
cent. chancel. 

Trowell (R. Station) was once a pretty village 
on the eastern bank of the Erewash but forges and 
collieries have sadly disfigured it. The church 
(St Helen) has a good plain I3th-cent. chancel, 
a I4th-cent. arcade and font, and a I5th-cent. 
tower of good ashlar. 

Tuxford (there are four stations within reach 

198 




TUXFORD CHURCH. FONT COVER 



TOLLERTON— TYTHBY 

of this town though none of them are actually in 
it) has lost much of its importance and from being 
one of the most important posting stations on the 
North Road has sunk to be a quiet little town 
with a market once a fortnight, and more motors 
pass through Tuxford than stop there. The 
G.C.R. have some engine works there. The 
church (St Nicholas) is interesting because it pro- 
vides examples of much Transitional work, especi- 
ally between the E.E. and Dec. periods. Much of 
both these periods is left and there is Perp. work 
as well. There is a fine inscribed font-cover 
(1673) and a curious carving of St Lawrence being 
martyred on a gridiron. In the north chapel are 
the tombs of the White family who now live at 
Wallingwells. The top part of the screen is ancient. 
Margaret Tudor stopped one night at Tuxford on 
her way north to become Queen of Scotland. 
Formerly the roads round Tuxford were notori- 
ously bad but now little fault can be found with 
them. About 1 m. from Tuxford on the right- 
hand side of the North Road going south is a stone 
inscribed : " Here lies a Rebel." 

Tythby (2 m. S. of Bingham) possesses but 
little of interest. The church is quaint but not 
beautiful. The 1 8th-cent. western gallery remains, 
together with some box pews. Half the church 
belongs to Tythby and half to Cropwell Butler. 
The font is dated 1663. Note the good I4th-cent. 
chest with ironwork on it. The country in this 
neighbourhood is sparsely populated and has a 
somewhat bare appearance. There are some exten- 
sive views from the road between Bingham and 
Tythby. Smith, a blacksmith of this village, was 
the ancestor of the great banking family of that name. 

199 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Underwood (2 m. E. of Codnor and Selston 
Station) occupies a lofty position commanding 
extensive but not beautiful views over Derbyshire. 

Upton ( 1 J m. E. of Southwell) stands conspicu- 
ously on the side of a slope. The church (St 
Peter) has an E.E. arcade, a Dec. chancel and a 
handsome but unusual Perp. tower. There is a 
low-side window. The old font is in the church- 
yard. Some years ago several old jars were dis- 
covered which, it is believed, were employed to 
assist the acoustics of the building. 

Walesby (2J m. N. of Boughton) has an ivy- 
clad church dedicated to St Edmund, which retains 
its Norman south doorway. There are two mag- 
nificent beech-trees in the churchyard. About 
1 m. E. of Walesby by the side of the Whitewater 
(as the Maun is here called) is Robin Hood's 
Cave. Beyond the fact that this lies on the old 
forest boundary, that it is well concealed and diffi- 
cult to approach, we cannot find any likely connec- 
tion between it and the notorious outlaw. The 
name is probably a product of quite recent years, 
when local history is so readily manufactured, A 
little farther down the stream is a wood known as 
Conjure Alders, where the Whitewater and the 
Meden join for a short space, only to be separated 
again. Across the single stream at Conjure Alders 
was a ford, where the track marking the old forest 
boundary passes on its way to Worksop. This 
ford was undoubtedly that mentioned in the Forest 
Records as Cunniggeswath (or the king's ford), 
where the perambulations of the forest used to begin. 

Walkeringham (R. Station) has a pleasing ap- 
pearance when approached from the south, for it 
stands on a slope which rises still higher behind it. 

200 



UNDERWOOD— WARSOP 

Its church has a chancel with work of the beginning 
of the E.E. period. The nave is E.E. and the 
tower Perp. The roof is old, and a Perp. screen 
and some old benches remain. Note (i) the font, 
1663 ; (2) the bases of the piers of the nave; 
(3) the monument to Francis Williamson (once dated 
1639) with the following remarkable verses : — 

" My life to loose, my soule to save 
My goods to spend, I tooke, I gave. 
See what remains all you yt pass 
And make my monument your Glass 
Mistake not youth nor Ladyes faire, 
A Glass, but not to curie your hayre : 
No Flatterer, but true and iust 
It measures out your time in dust : 
All men doe erre, and Judg amiss 
Till they have uiewed themselues in this. 
Wch to thee Reader shows thus much 
Some few hours past and thou art such 
Then thoughts and cares for long life saue 
And bee undressing for the graue." 



Wallingwells is the name of a large modern 
house and park situated just outside Carlton-in- 
Lindrick and some three or four miles from 
Worksop. Here, in the reign of Stephen, Ralph 
de Cheurolcourt founded a ; Benedictine nunnery, 
of which some very small portions are incorporated 
in the present house. For many years the estate 
has belonged to the Whites of Tuxford and 
Wallingwells. 

Warsop (R. Station) is composed of two villages 
— Market Warsop and Church Warsop — which 
are rapidly becoming more populous owing to the 
mining for coal. Church Warsop is situated on 
the rising north bank of the Meden, which works 

201 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

a mill here. The church (Sts Peter and Paul) is 
of much interest, with its varied styles of architec- 
ture. There is a rich Norman tower arch and a 
south arcade built about 1300 with stone seats 
round the piers. Note ( 1 ) the sedilia ; (2) the 1 6th- 
cent. vestry with old stained glass in its windows; 
(3) the I3th-cent. south doorway. About 2 m. 
S. of Warsop is Nettleworth Hall, formerly the 
possession of the Wyld family, several of whose 
memorials are in Warsop church. Gervase Wyld 
played a prominent part in the great fight with 
the Spanish Armada. 

Watnall (R. Station) is a little village composed 
of two hamlets known as Watnall Chaworth and 
Watnall Cantilupe. The old Hall, which is ap- 
proached by a drive opening on to the road through 
a pair of fine iron gates, has belonged to the 
Rollestons since the 16th cent. 

Welbeck Abbey (1 m. S. of Worksop, open to 
the public on weekdays till 4 p.m. Only a small 
part is shown) was founded for the Premonstra- 
tensian Order in 1 1 5 3 by Richard de Cuckney. 
At the Dissolution it came into the hands of 
Richard Whalley of Screveton and later into the 
possession of Sir Charles Cavendish, youngest son 
of Bess of Hardwick, whose son in his turn was 
first Duke of Newcastle. Failures of heirs and 
marriages of heiresses took the estate successively 
into the hands of the Earl of Clare, the Earl 
of Oxford and finally to the second Duke of 
Portland, in whose family it still remains. It has 
the reputation of being one of the best wooded 
estates in the country. Much of the present 
house was built in 1604 though many later 
additions have been made, notably the famous 

202 



WATNALL— WHATTON 

underground tunnels and rooms built by the 
eccentric last duke. Welbeck is a storehouse of 
treasures (too numerous and varied to attempt 
even a list of "the most notable") and every- 
thing is carried out " on a scale of almost un- 
paralleled grandeur." 

Welham (ih m. N.E. of Retford) is a pretty 
hamlet once celebrated for its St John's Well, the 
waters of which were a sovereign remedy for 
rheumatism and scorbutic diseases. 

Wellow (i|- m. S.E. of Ollerton) is one of the 
most picturesque villages in the county, besides 
being of considerable interest to the archaeologist 
from the fact that it has been surrounded at one 
time by earthworks. There is another entrench- 
ment near by called Jordan Castle. In the middle 
of the village green is a maypole erected in 1897 
to replace an earlier one. Until recently garlands 
used to hang on it. The church (St Swithun) 
is small and of I3th-cent. date ; within is a disused 
font of unusual shape. " Near here," says Mr 
Lawson Lowe, " was anciently a considerable place 
called Grymston, no trace of which can now be 
found ; tradition relates that it was entirely 
destroyed by a fearful earthquake." 

Weston-on- Trent (3 m. S.E. of Tuxford) stands 
on a slight eminence overlooking the country to 
the north where the top of Tuxford spire is visible. 
The church (All Saints) has a spire, by no means 
a common thing in these parts. 

Whatton may be reached in a few minutes by 
a field-path from Aslockton Station, by road the 
distance is |- m. The village, which is situated 
on the south bank of the little river Smite, was 
greatly improved about the middle of the 19th cent. 

203 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

by the late lord of the manor, Mr T. Dickinson 
Hall. The church (St John of Beverley), a much- 
restored structure, was built chiefly in the 13 th 
cent. It was, up till 1871, cruciform in shape 
and the tower arch on the south side was Norman 
in character ; at the restoration it was put on the 
north side. The nave (E.E.) and the north aisle 
(Dec.) are the least restored portions. The 
chancel was rebuilt in 1846 and the tower in 
1 87 1, when the present E.E. structure replaced 
one of the Dec. period. The somewhat in- 
significant Dec. spire was re-erected. The chief 
glory of Whatton is its tombs, which are, with 
one exception, in the north aisle and the chapel 
at the east end of this aisle. Beginning from the 
west the first is that of Robert de Whatton, who 
was a canon of Welbeck till 13 10. The small 
doorway to the west of this tomb may perhaps 
have led to a chamber over a porch which preceded 
the present Dec. one. The founder's tomb in the 
chapel is much mutilated. The magnificent altar 
tomb of Sir Richard de Whatton {temp. Edward II.) 
deserves all the praise that has been bestowed upon 
it. Close by is a floor tablet to the father of 
Archbishop Cranmer. The top of the village cross 
is preserved in this chapel and a double piscina 
and some good brackets may also be seen. The re- 
maining effigy is that at the east end of the south 
aisle to Sir Hugh de Newmarsh, a fine piece of work 
(c. 14.00). The glass in the east window of this 
aisle is from the designs of Sir Edward Burne-Jones 
and was executed by William Morris. Whatton 
bells are well known to campanologists. They 
are commemorated in the following quaint 
couplet : — 

204 



WHEATLEY, NORTH— WILFORD 

••'Colston's cracked pancheons, Screveton's egg-shells 
Bingham's ' tro-rollers,' and Whatton's merry bells." 

The font is dated 1662 and is sculptured on five 
sides. 

Wheat ley, North (2 m. W. of Sturton), is a 
pleasant and picturesque village clustering on the 
southern slope of a hill, and containing a very- 
handsome brick house dated 1673 with the arms 
of the Cartwrights of Wheatley above the door. 
The church has several interesting details, notably 
a large font, a rough oak staircase leading to the 
tower, a palimpsest brass, and a few old bench 
ends. The tower was built in 1480 and the 
chancel in 1825. Note the pulpit, 1604, with 
the inscription : u Wo unto me except I preach 
the gospel." There is a fine view eastwards from 
the top of the tower. 

Wheatley, South ( i|-m. W. of Sturton), contains 
only one or two houses and a ruined church, dis- 
mantled within recent years. From what remains 
it appears to have been a small building with some 
Norman work. The font is now in St Catherine's 
Church, Nottingham. From South Wheatley a 
pleasant view of North Wheatley is to be obtained. 

Whiteborough station is a small isolated place on 
the Derbyshire border, serving Huthwaite. From 
the road to Teversal a good view may be obtained 
of Hardwick Hall. 

Whitewater, The. (See Walesby.) 

Widmerpool (R. Station) is to be found in one 
of the most beautiful parts of the county, where 
trees abound. The church (Sts Peter and Paul) 
is modern except for its I4th-cent. tower. It 
lies in the Hall grounds and one could not 

205 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

wish for a more picturesque and retired church- 
yard. 

Wilford ( i m. S. of Nottingham market- 
place) is very different now from what it was 
some fifty or more years ago, when it was one of 
the rural retreats of Nottingham people, especially 
when the cherries were ripe. It was then reached 
by a ferry, in place of which we have the present 
toll bridge, built in 1870. Of old the view from 
the churchyard was one of great beauty, com- 
prising a panorama of Nottingham and the villages 
in the Trent Valley to the west of that town, 
while the Trent itself flowed in a broad bend by 
the village. Now a colliery has reared its ugly 
head on the other side of the river and the rattle 
of machinery and the banging of trucks take away 
that peacefulness which caused Kirk White to 
write in this very churchyard those well-known 
lines : 

" Here would I wish to sleep. — This is the spot 
Which I have long mark'd out to lay my bones in, 
Tir'd out and wearied with the riotous world, 
Beneath this yew I would be sepulchred. 
It is a lovely spot." 

In 1804 Kirk White retired to Wilford for the 
sake of his health and the continuance of his 
studies. The cottage he occupied no longer 
exists, but for such as desire to seek out the site 
the following directions from Captain Barker's 
" Walks round Nottingham " will suffice : — " Be- 
yond this [farmhouse] we come to four cross roads, 
that on the left leading to the Nottingham turn- 
pike road, the one in front to Ruddington and 
that on the right to the banks of the Trent 

206 



WILLOUGHBY-ON-THE-WOLDS 

and Clifton. The corner house on the right is of 
ancient date, and was formerly an alehouse under 
the sign of the Star. The house adjoining, having 
a garden in front and a trellised bower over the 
door, is the place where Kirk White resided, when 
preparing himself for College." But Kirk White 
is not the only writer of note who has recognised 
the charms of Wilford : Philip James Bailey, 
Henry Sutton, William and Mary Howitt, 
Thomas Miller and Dr Spencer Hall have all at 
one time or another welcomed the soothing quiet 
of this delightful spot. 

Wilford is part of the manor of Clifton, and 
belongs consequently to Sir Hervey Bruce, who 
resides at Clifton Hall. The church (St Wilfrid) 
is a somewhat plain but spacious building con- 
sisting of an E.E. nave of three bays with a Perp. 
clerestory and a Perp. chancel of good design and 
a tower at the north-west corner of the nave. 
Note (i) the piscina in south aisle with Nor- 
man mouldings ; (2) the fine series of incised 
slabs of early date; (3) the turret enclosing the 
stairway to the rood-loft ; (4) the memorial 
window to Kirk White at the east end of south 
aisle. 

Willoughby-on-the- Wolds (2|m. W. of Upper 
Broughton) is quite the most interesting place in 
the south of the county. On the Fosse Way near 
by was the site of the Roman station of Verno- 
metum and until recent years rumours clung to 
this district of lost towns and churches that have 
disappeared. The church of Willoughby has 
been lately restored, and well restored, too. The 
nave was built by the year 1200 and the chancel 
— an extremely large one for the date — by 1300. 

207 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Perhaps the most interesting feature is the 14th- 
cent. mortuary chapel of St Nicholas, and its 
tombs of members of the Willoughby family. 
Against the north wall, in judge's dress, is Sir 
Richard de Willoughby, Chief Justice of the 
King's Bench in 1327, through whose marriage 
with Isabella de Mortein the Willoughby family 
entered into their long ownership of Wollaton. 
The fine double tomb in the middle of the chapel 
is that of Sir Hugh Willoughby, who died in 1448. 
The two I3th-cent. effigies of ladies with wimples 
are of widows who have taken the vow of chastity. 
A brass tablet in the floor of the north aisle recalls 
the fact that here was buried u Collonell Michaell 
Stanhope slayne in Willoughby Feild in the month 
of July 1648. A souldier for King Charles the 
first." This stubborn and somewhat bloodthirsty 
skirmish took place at some unidentified spot near 
the village and resulted in the defeat of the 
Royalists. The cottage and farm residences to the 
south of the church were once the manor house of 
the Willoughbys. Notwithstanding this division 
into small residences much good brickwork of the 
1 6th and 17th cents, remains together with some 
traces of earlier work. 

Winkburn (3 m. N.E. of Kirklington) is as 
secluded, melancholy and sleepy a village as one 
could find anywhere. Smothered by trees it 
lies in a little valley watered by the river Wink. 
The church is near the Hall and is so hidden by- 
shrubs and trees that it is not visible until one 
comes right upon it. The tower, with its Nor- 
man belfry windows, is in a sad state of decay. 
The rest of the church has a I7th-cent. appearance 
due to the carved pulpit, screen, box pews, good 

208 



WINKBURN— WOLLATON 

altar rails and font, all of this period. The Nor- 
man tower-arch and south doorway are good. 
The Hall is comparatively modern but the estate 
has belonged to the Burnells since the time of 
Edward VI. Before then it was the property of 
the Knights Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem. 

Winthorpe (2 m. N. of Newark) is a pleasantly 
wooded village which consists of houses of superior 
class. The church was rebuilt of brick in 1778. 

Wiseton Hall. (See Clay worth.) 

Wiverton Hall (pronounced Werton) lies be- 
tween Tythby and Langar. The property be- 
longed to the De Heriz in the 13th cent., and 
passed eventually to Sir William Chaworth. Of 
this family Sir Thomas Chaworth became an 
extremely wealthy man, and in the reign of 
Henry VI. he was able to build a strong house 
and set a park about it. This house remained 
until the Civil War, when it was garrisoned for 
the king by John Lord Chaworth. Here the 
queen slept, and here too came Prince Rupert 
and his brother. On 3rd November 1645 Major- 
General Poyntz stormed Shelford, and on the 
next day appeared before Wiverton, which sur- 
rendered and was pulled down. All that was 
left was the gatehouse, which forms the back 
part of the present house built in 1614. The 
Chaworth family became extinct with Mary 
Chaworth, who conveyed the manor to the 
Musters. It was at Wiverton that this lady 
died in 1832. 

Wollaton (3 m. W. of Nottingham) would be 
quite a picturesque village were it not for the 
colliery which so disfigures it. In the village 
there remains the old dovecote still in use. The 

o 209 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

church (St Leonard) is of little interest architec- 
turally, but the tower which stands upon open 
arches is curious, and it is difficult to understand 
the reason for this unless we may suppose that 
there was a right-of-way here. It is to its 
tombs that the church owes its renown ; the 
beautiful tomb of Henry Willoughby (1528) 
with the four diminutive effigies of his wives ; 
the large canopied tomb with brasses of Richard 
Willoughby (1471) and his wife, which must be 
from the same workshop as the big tomb at 
Strelley ; and the inscribed tablet within the 
altar rails, with its beautiful lettering, which is 
difficult to decipher, so that the copy given here 
may be useful. 

" Perci \ Wylluhby qui. ob. Aug. 23. 1643 

BridgJ qua obuit July. 16. 1629 

Toro } n - 

rr. 1 VComere in vno 

lumuloj 

Duplici coniuncti connvbio 

Ignoscat illis omnia 

Qui nostra tulit crimina " 

On the wall of the south aisle is the monument 
to Robert Smythson, architect and surveyor, who 
had a large share in the erection of Wollaton Hall. 
Note the beautiful ironwork in the Willoughby 
pew. 

Wollaton Hall (permission to visit the Hall 
and park in the afternoon may generally be 
obtained by writing in advance to Mr C. M. S. 
Pilkington, Wollaton. Visitors arriving without 
a written permit will not be admitted). The 
Willoughby family are descended from one Ralph 
Bugge, a wealthy wool merchant of Nottingham, 

210 



WOLLATON HALL 

whose house was opposite the Shire Hall on the 
High Pavement. In 1 240-1 241 he purchased 
estates at Willoughby-on-the-Wolds, and thus 
the family came by their name. A marriage in 
the reign of Edward III. with the heiress of the 
Morteins brought to them the Wollaton estate. 
Before the building of the present Hall the family 
house was near the church. 

The park, 790 acres in extent, is enclosed by 
a brick wall said to be 7 m. in length, 7 ft. high 
and to have taken one man 7 years to build. 
The making of this park caused the disappearance 
of the village of Sutton Passeys. The Hall is 
usually approached from the Lenton Lodge, and 
the drive passes through a magnificent avenue 
of limes. There is a large herd of deer in the 
park. 

The architecture and history of the Hall have 
puzzled experts not a little. The facts appear 
to be as follows : — -In 1580 Sir Francis Willoughby 
set about the erection of this residence. The 
plans were prepared by John Thorpe, and the 
director and general master workman was Robert 
Smythson. Were it not for the reliable state- 
ment that Italian master workmen were employed 
we should not attribute much of the work to 
Italian models, notwithstanding the gondola rings ; 
the influences are rather French, for Thorpe was 
undoubtedly influenced by Du Cerceau, and the 
Dutch, for Holland was the birthplace of the 
curly gables on the pavilions. The Hall took 
eight years to build, and we learn that the stone 
was brought from Ancaster on horseback, and 
the horses returned carrying Wollaton coal. And 
yet, notwithstanding this great saving of expense, 

211 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

the building cost £80,000. In plan it consists 
of a large central hall, whose internal measure- 
ments are 60 ft. in length by 30 ft. in width, 
50 ft. in height, the windows being 30 ft. from 
the ground, and 4 corner pavilions. Mr J. A. 
Gotch (to whose able article we are much in- 
debted), a great authority on buildings of this 
period, writing in the Royal Archaeological 
Journal, 1891, says: "As a matter of fact it 
cannot be called a typical example [of an Eliza- 
bethan palace]. In its chief characteristic it 
stands by itself, namely, in its lofty central hall 
and its four corner pavilions. In its extreme 
regularity of treatment, and in the great care 
bestowed upon its detail, it exhibits far more 
conscious effort than the majority of houses built 
in that period." 

The chief interest of the interior lies in the 
series of family portraits, which include Sir Hugh 
Willoughby the explorer, and Sir Francis Wil- 
loughby the eminent naturalist. 

The gardens are of great historical interest, 
for according to Beeton's " Garden Management " 
it was here that a glass structure was first used for 
the protection of plants in 1695. Also in 1823 
the camellia-house, one of the first in England, 
was built at a cost of £10,000. The gardens 
were once much larger and were considered only 
second to those at Chatsworth for beauty through- 
out England. 

Woodborough (3 m. N.W. of Lowdham) lies 
in a valley which opens into the flat land watered 
by the Dover Beck on the east, and is overlooked 
by the height of Dorket Head on the west. 
Little of interest remains in the village with the 

212 



WOODBOROUGH— WORKSOP 

exception of the church (St Swithun), which has 
a late Norman doorway on the north side, 
Richard de Strelley, who was lord of the manor 
in the 14th cent., rebuilt the church, and it is to 
him that we owe the magnificent chancel, which 
was built about 1356, at a time when his father, 
Sampson de Strelley, was rebuilding Strelley 
church. Richard does not appear to have lived 
to finish the work, for the nave and aisles are of a 
later date and comparatively poor in workmanship. 
Note ( 1 ) the two fine crosses on the church roof, 
which have been restored. The cross at Clifton 
is the only other instance of such work in the 
county ; (2) the sedilia ; (3) the Jacobean altar- 
table at the east end of the south aisle, given by 
John Wood of Lambley, Recorder of Newark ; 
(4) the Norman font ; (5) the old stained glass ; 
(6) hooks in the chancel from which the Lenten 
veil was hung ; (7) the beautiful script of the 
mural tablet on the north wall of the chancel, 
dated 1770. Between Woodborough and Calver- 
ton is the Fox Wood entrenchment, one of the 
best of the numerous earthworks in this neigh- 
bourhood. 

Worksop (R. Station). The late Mr Robert 
White, the able and painstaking historian of 
Worksop and the north of the county, gives it as 
his opinion that the town takes its name from a 
fortified hill which existed here at an early date. 
The main street of the town is, moreover, one of 
those roads of undoubted antiquity which are so 
frequently met with and about which we know so 
little. In all probability the hill was that which 
is called Castle Hill, one which would command 
the road passing at its base as well as the river 

213 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

Ryton, which the road crosses. To-day the chief 
interest of Worksop, apart from its proximity to 
Welbeck Abbey and the Dukeries, lies in the 
remains of its Priory of Austin Canons, which was 
known as the Priory of Radford. This priory 
was founded, probably in 1103, by William de 
Lovetot and dedicated to St Cuthbert. Before 
the manor came into the hands of De Lovetot it 
had belonged to the great family of De Busli, and 
curiously enough out of all the manors held by 
Roger de Busli in this alone is his name still 
remembered, for a field bears the name Buslings. 
From the De Lovetots the manor passed, about 
1 1 80, by marriage to Gerard de Furnival, with 
whose male descendants it remained till 1383, 
when the heiress of the Furnivals transferred it to 
the Nevilles, who in 1406 passed it on, again by 
marriage, to the Talbots, earls of Shrewsbury, in 
whose family it remained for over 200 years, 
and it was a Talbot who held Mary Queen 
of Scots prisoner for a short time at his manor 
house here. Perhaps the choicest relic of the 
great priory is the beautiful gatehouse, which 
seems to have been a guest-house as well, and in 
consequence we have a good example of an early 
14-th-cent. house, for the work seems to have been 
in progress about 13 14. The exquisite little 
porch, which was built some sixty years later, con- 
tained a chapel for travellers and a staircase 
leading to the guest-room. The niches of the 
south front hold the effigies of St Cuthbert and 
St Augustine. Note the wooden roof over the 
entrance gateway. In front are the remains of 
the cross. 

Of the little parish church which formed part 

214 



WYSALL 

of the grant made by William de Lovetot nothing 
remains. About the middle of the 12th cent, a 
rebuilding was taken in hand and a large apsidal 
choir built. Of this work only the two most 
eastern pillars of the present church remain. At 
this date the additional dedication of St Mary was 
made. The rest of the church was the work of 
another William de Lovetot, about 11 70- 11 80. 
The richness of this work, and its strong resemblance 
to both the E.E. and Norman styles, is very 
striking. In addition to the nave of the original 
church the only other remains are a beautiful 
piece of mid. I3th-cent. work known as the 
Lady Chapel, now in ruins, and part of the 
cellarage at the west end on the north side. At 
the end of the 1 2th cent, the nave was apportioned 
to the parishioners and therefore what remains to 
this day has been ever since its erection a parish 
church. Note the ironwork of the south door. 

In front of the Old Ship Inn was the Market 
House, of which nothing is left. Just outside 
Worksop are the gates leading to the manor park 
once renowned for its fine trees. A little farther 
on is the entrance to Welbeck Abbey. 

Wysall (3 J m. S. of Plumtree) is a pleasant 
village with wide open streets and an undoubtedly 
agricultural look. The church (Holy Trinity) 
was restored in 1873 but is still of much interest. 
With the exception of some Norman work in the 
north wall of the nave, and a certain amount of 
I3th-cent. work in the nave itself, the major part 
of the church is of I4th-cent. date and of excellent 
workmanship. The screen, misericords and 
chancel roof are especially worthy of attention. 
Note ( 1 ) the alabaster tomb of Hugh Armstrong, 

215 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 

who died in 1572, and his wife ; (2) the moulded 
font of the 13th cent. ; (3) the traces of fresco 
on the north wall of the nave. At the Plough 
Inn there is a pump trough which appears to be a 
Norman pier cap hollowed out. This probably 
belonged to a church contemporary with the work 
in the north wall of the nave, though there are 
some who believe that there is pre-Conquest work 
in the north wall. It is pleasant to be able to 
record that the medieval pulpit has been restored 
to use, after lying neglected for a long time ; its 
panels were formerly painted. 



216 



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INDEX 



Acklom family, 72 

" Adam Bede," 45 

Adbolton, 48 

Ad Pontem, 35, 173 

Agelocum, 113 

Agincourt, battle of, 46 

Agriculture, 27 

Aire, river, 54 

Aitard, 145^ 

Aid wulf, King of East Anglians, 

178 
Ale, 27 
Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln, 

120 
Alfred, King, 130 
Allen, the late Mr Romilly 

(quoted), 168 
Altar Tables, list of,3& 
Alverton, 48, 103 
Amsterdam, 52 
Ancaster, 30, 211 
Anne of Bohemia, 135 
Anne, Queen, 137 
Annesley, 11, 38, 39, 48, 87, 169 
Antiquities , 33-42 
Arderne, John, 47 
Area of County, 1 
Arkwright, 28 
Armada, the, 46 
Armstrong, Hugh, 215 
Arnold, 9, 22, 34, 37, 47, 49 
Arnold of Rugby, Dr Thomas, 

89 
Arundel, Earl of, 101 
Arthur, King, 42 
Artists, 47 
Ashbourne, 45 
Askham, 9, 49 
Aslac, 50 

Aslockton, 43, 49-50, 203 
Attenborough, 37, 39, 46, 50 
Aubigny (France), no 
Audley Street Chapel, London, 

167 



Augustinians, 40, 87, 127, 166, 

197, 213 
Austerfield, 51, 52, 164 
Averham, 15, 25, 34, 36, 38, 51 
Axholme, 55 
Ayscough family, 151 
Ayscough, William, 147 



B 

Babington family, 42, 104, 157 
Babington, Anthony, 104 
Babington, William, 41 
Babworth, 51, 52, 164 
Bailey, Philip James, 44, 45, 54, 

143, 144, 207 
Bailey, Thomas, 45 
Balderton, 36, 38, 39, 40, 52 
"Ballad of the King and the 

Miller of Mansfield," 114 
Baptists, 90 
Bardolph family, 189 
Bardolph, Stoke, 53, 189 
Barebones Parliament, 86 
Barker, Captain (quoted), 206 
Barnaby Googe, 71 
Barnby-in-the- Willows, 37, 40, 

53 
Barnby Moor, 53 
Barnston, 10, 53 
Barrett, 144 
Barrow Hills, 19 
Barrow-on-Soar, 67 
Barry, 75 _ 
Barry family, 198 
Bartolomeo, Fra, 147 
Barton family, 119 
Barton, John, 100 
Barton-in-Fabis, 25, 35, 38, 39, 

53 
Basford, 47, 54 
Bassetlaw, Hundred of, 21, 32, 

i59 
Bawtry, 23, 41, 51, 54, 60, 70, 

i93 



217 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



Beacon Hill (Gringley), 92 
Beacon Hill (Newark), 9, 75 
Beauchief Priory (Derbyshire), 

83 
Beauclerk, Henry, 57 
Beauvale Priory, 40, 54, 92 
Becket, Thomas a, 83 
Beckingham, 39, 55 
Bede, the Venerable, 158, 173 
Beeston, 22, 34, 39, 56 
Bellasis, Lord, 121-122 
Bellfounders, 28 
Belper, first Lord, 104 
Belvoir Castle, 59, 88, 188 
Belvoir, Vale of, 10, 27 
Benches and Bench ends, list of, 

39 
Benedictines, 40, 201 
Bernard, Richard, 164 
Besthorpe, 23, 56 
Bestwood, 56-57 
Bevercotes, 57, 96 
Beverley (Yorks.)j 177 
Bilborough, 57 
Bilhagh, 152, 170 
Bilsthorpe, 8, 36, 39, 40, 57 
Bingham, 13, 37, 38, 39j 44> 46, 

58, 162, 163, 199, 204 
Bingham, Hundred of, 21, 32, 

188 
Bingham, Richard de, 58 
Birds, 20-21 
Birkland, 152, 170 
Birmingham, 159 
Bishops, Trial of the Seven, 126 
Black Death, 125 
Blackner, 29 

Blake, Professor (quoted), 7 
Bleasby, 59 

Blidworth, 10, n, 19, 34, 38, 59 
Blidworth Rocking, 59 
Blow, Dr John, 46, 122 
Bloxam, Mr (quoted), 183 
Blyth, 35, 36, 38, 40, 41, 51, 53, 

60, 61, 99, 160, 193 
Boating, 56, 129 
Bole, 12, 61 
Boleyn, Anne, 55 
Bolham, 160 
Bolsover Moor, 6 
Bonington, Richard Parkes, 

47> 49» x 44 
Boord, Andrew, 91 
Booth, Archbishop of York, 181, 

182 
Booth, General, 43 



Borough English, 141, n 

Boswell, Dan, 166 

Bosworth Field, Battle of, 32, 

136, 189. 
Botany, 17-20 

Bothamsall, 39, 42, 62, 97, 169 
Bottesford (Leicestershire), 88 
Boughton, 62 
Boundaries oj County, 1 
Bowbridge, 9 
Brackley (Northants), 193 
Bradebusk, 41, 62, 91 
Bradford, William, 43, 51, 52, 

164-165 
Bradmore, 62 
Bramcote, 34, 39, 62 
Brasses, 39, 97, 116, 126 
Brent's Hill, 54, 62 
Brewer, Dr, 46 
Brewster, William, 43, 51, 164- 

165 
Bridges, 26, 35, and see Dunham 

Gainsborough, Gunthorpe, 

Kelham, Muskham, Newark, 

Nottingham, Wilford 
Bridgford, East, 9, 25, 35, 36, 

46, 63 
Bridgford, West, 11, 22, 37, 38, 

63-64, 90, 148 
Brinsley, 64 
Britto, Ralph, 87 
Broadholme, 40, 64 
Bronze Age, The, 34 
Brookland (Kent), 69 
Brough, 35, 64, 76 
Broughton Hall, 114 
Broughton, Nether, 65 
Broughton Sulney. See Upper 

Broughton 
Broughton, Upper, 2, 10, 65 
Brown, Professor Baldwin, 36 
Brownists, 165 
Broxtow Hall, 65 
Broxtow, Hundred of, 21, 22, 32 
Bruce, Sir Hervey, 207 
Brunsell, Dr, 163 
Brunsell Hall, 65, 163 
Buckingham, Duke of, 95, 137 
Budby, 65 

Bugge, Ralph, 58, 210 
Building Stone, 8 
Bulcote, 66 
Bulwell, 66 
Bulwell Forest, 19, 66 
Bulwell Wood Hall, 66 
Bunny, 13, 38, 45, 62, 66 



2l8 



INDEX 



Burial in ham, 85 

Burne- Jones, Sir Edward, 144, 

204 
Burnell family, 209 
Burnham Deepdale (Norfolk), 

69 
Burton, Joyce, 25, 37, 38, 66, 

67-68 
Burton, West, 12, 68 
Busli, de, 51, 214 
Busli, Roger de, 60, 85 
Byron family, 77, 78 
Byron, Hon. William, 66 
Byron, Lady, 197 
Byron, second Lord, 66 
Byron, fifth Lord, 127 
Byron, sixth Lord, 44, 48, 100, 

102, 115, 122, 127-128, 144, 145, 

Byron, Sir John, 56, 66, 127, 
128 

C 

Calais, 27, 196 

Calverton, 29, 39, 47, 68, 213 

Cambridge University Library 

Building, 74 
Camden, 174 
Camville, Agnes de, 64 
Canals, 26, 31, 81, 82, 120, 189 
Cantilupe family, 92 
Cantilupe, Nicholas de, 55 
Canute, 131 
Carburton, 39, 69, 81 
Car Colston, 34, 35, 37, 38, 39, 

69, 163, 204 
Carlton, 22, 34, 69, 162 
Carlton-in-Lindrick, 36, 69, 201 
Carlton-on-Trent, 12, 70 
Carmelite Friars, 41, 141 
Carnarvon, Earl of, 195 
Cars, the, 70, 86, 118 
Carthusians, 40, 55 
Cartledge, 28 
Cartwright family, 153 
Cartwright of Wheatley family, 

205 
Cartwright, Dr Edmund, 47, 

ti6 
Cartwright, Miss (Mrs Penrose), 

89, 116 
Cartwright, William, 153 
Castles, 42, and see Nottingham 

and Newark 
Castle Hill (Retford), 93 
Caunton, 13, 35, 43, 70 



Cavendish family, 96 

Cavendish, Sir Charles, 202 

Celebrated Men, 42-47 

Celery, 19 

Cement, Hydraulic, 10 

Chantrey, 167 

Lbappell, Dr William, 58, no 

Charles L, 33, 46, 63, 103, 132, 

136, 174 
Charles II., 57, 96 
Chatsworth, 212 
Chaworth, John Lord, 209 
Chaworth, Mary, 48, 78, 209 
Chaworth, Sir Thomas, 209 
Chaworth, Sir William, 209 
Checkerhouse Station, 70 
Chesterfield Canal, 82, 189 
Chesterfield, fourth Earl of, 167 
Cheurolcourt, Ralph de, 201 
Chilwell, 70, 71 
Chiswick House (Middlesex), 

i57 
Churches, 35-40 
Church of St Ethelburga, ip8 
"Church Furniture, English," 

Cox and Harvey, 105 
Church Hole Cave, 33 
Church Laneham, 71, 107 
Church Warsop, 201 
Churchill, John, 137 
Cibber, Colley, 45, 137 
Cinder Hill, 71 
Cistercians, 40, 161 
Civil War, The, 33, 46, 93, 121, 

132-133, 136-137/147, 149 
Clare, Earl of, 95, 96 
Clare, Earls of, 133, 202 
Clarborough, 71 
Clay, North, division, 32 
Clayworth, 71, 72 
Clifton, 39, 41, 72, 207, 213 
Clifton Grove, 25, 72 
Clifton Hill, 14 
Clifton, North, 12, 13, 25, 73 
Clifton, South, 12, 73 
"Clifton, Fair Maid of," 73 
Clifton family, 99 
Clifton, Richard (Babworth), 43, 

5i, 52, 164 
Clifton, Sir Gervase, 72 
Clifton, Sir Robert, 41 
Climate, 15-16 
Clinton, Henry, 74 
Clipstone, 73 
Cloth, 27, 120, 132 
Clumber, 7, 73'75> 85, 169 



219 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



Cluniacs, 40 

Coal, 3-5, 27, 30, So, 211 

Cocker Beck, 107, 113 

Cockpit Hill, 2, 34, 68, 75 

Coddington, 40, 75 

Coins, Roman, 65, 113 

Cokefield family, 151 

Cokefield, Sir Robert, 151 

Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, 144 

Colleges, 40, 41 

Collingham, North, 12, 14, 15, 

23, 35, 37, 38, 75-77, 9° 
Collingham, South, 14, 15, 36, 

37, 64, 75-76 
Colston Basset, 37, 77, 105 
Colwick, 34, 77, 78 
Colwick family, de, 77 
Combs Farm Camp, 34, 87 
Compton, Sir Robert de, 97 
Coningeswath, 169, 200 
Conjure Alders, 78, 169, 200 
Constable, Henry, 45 
Copmanhurst, 78, 89 
Coritani, 130 
Cork and Ross, Bishop of, 58, 

no 
Cossall, 30, 38, 39, 79, 80 
Costock, 36, 40, 67, 78 
Cotgrave, 9, 78 
Cotham, 9, 79, 88, 190 
Cottam, 37, 80 
Cotton, 28 
Cox, Rev. Dr J. C, 36, 58, 86, 

169 
Cranmer, Archbishop, 42, 43, 

50, 177, 204 
Crecy, Battle of, 135, 196 
Cresswell Crags, 33, 80 
Cressy family, 99 
Cressy, William, 61 
Crocolana, 35, 64, 76 
Cromford Canal, 31 
Cromwell, 13, 38, 44, 80 
Cromwell family, 42, 44 
Cromwell, Oliver, 44, 46, 51, 96 
Cromwell, Ralph, Lord, 44, 66, 

80, 107 
Cromwell, Thomas, 44, 55 
Cropwell, Bishop, 9, 38, 39, 40, 

80, 81 
Cropwell, Butler, 81, 199 
Cropwell Wolds, 10 
Crow Park Station, 81 
Cuckney, 81 
Cuckney family, de, 81 
Cuckney, Richard de, 202 



Cuckoo Hill, 91 
Cycles, 31, 56 



D 

Danby, John, 61 

Danes, the, 31, 86, 120, 130, T76 

Danish Boroughs, the, 5, 131 

Darlton, 39, 81 

Darrel, John, 160 

Darwin family, 85 

Darwin, Charles, 47, 85 

Darwin, Dr Erasmus, 47, 85 

Darwin, Robert, 85 

Dash wood family, 186 

David of Scotland, King, 135 

Davison, Mr, 164 

Davys, George, Bishop of 
Peterborough, 159 

Dawson, Henry, 47 

Deans, Jeanie, 123 

Decorated Architecture, 37 

Deering, Dr Charles, 45, 147 

Denison, John Evelyn, 44 

Denison, William, 153 

Derby, 58, no 

Derbyshire, 33, 51, 54 

Derwent Valley, no 

Devon, river, 25, 97 

Digby Colliery, 106 

"Dippers dipt or the Anabap- 
tists Duck'd and Plung'd over 
Head and Eares," no 

Divines, 43 

Doddington, 12 

Dodsley, 45, 114 

Dolomite, 6 

Domesday Book, 32 

Don, Vale of the, 54 

Doncaster, 23, 35, 71, 113, 164 

Dorket Head, 49, 82, 212 

Douglas, Rev. P. H., 197 

Dovecotes, 53, 72, 88, 94, 163, 
172, 196 

Dover Beck, the, 91, 169, 212 

Drakeholes, 82 

Drawswerd of York, Thomas, 
126 

Drayton, East, 82 

Drayton, West, 82 

Druell, Henry, 196 

Druidical Remains, 11, 34, 59 

Du Cerceau, 211 

Dukeries, the, 24, 160, 214 

Dumbles, Lambley, 107 



220 



INDEX 



Dunham-on-Trent, 14, 25, 26, 

82 
Durham, 60 



E 

Eadburh, St, 178 

Eagle (Lincolnshire), 12, 163 

Eagre, the, 26 

Eakring, 38, 43, 82 

Early English Architecture, 

37 
Earthworks, 34 
Eastwood, 16, 83 
Eaton, 83, 158 
Eddystone Lighthouse, 119 
Edgar, King, 175 
Edge, Mr T. L. K., 191 
Edgehill, battle of, 66 
Edingley, 83 
Edingley Hill, 8 
Edwalton, 39, 40, 83, 88, 19S 
Edward the Elder, 148 
Edward the Confessor, 120 
Edward I., 32, 44, 94, no, 

132 
Edward III., 50, 56, 135, 196 
Edward IV., 132, 135 
Edward VI., 41, 121, 148, 

177 
Edwin, King, 84 
Edwin (and Morcar), 131 
Edwinstowe, 19, 39, 46, 84, 152, 

170 
Effigies, list of, 38 
Egmanton, 38, 39, 42, 84 
Eleanor, Queen, 94, no 
Eliot, George, 45 
Elizabeth, Queen, 29, 43, 47, 

68, 72, 83, 164 
Elkesley, 85 
Elston, 36, 47, 85, 88 
Elsworth (Cambridgeshire), 69 
Elton 9, 38, 39, 40, 85 
Epitaphs, 57, 58, 79, 83, 99, 

115, 166, 199, 201, 208, 210 
Epperstone, 39, 85, 86, 114 
Erewash, river, 51, 187 
Erewash Valley, 31, 80 
Ethelfrith, King, 83, 158 
Ethelred, King, 130 
Evelyn, John (quoted), 172 
Everingham family, 42, 109 
Everton, 19, 36, 39, 82, 86, 

118 



Eyam, 43, 82 
Eyncourt, Ralph d', 197 
Eyre family, 52, 157 



Farndon, 36, 39. 86 
Farnsfield, 7, 34, 39, 86 
Fauconbridge family, 81 
Featley, D.D., Daniel, no 
Felley, 40, 46, 87 
Felley Chapel, 49 
Fellows, Sir Charles, 47 
Fenton, 46, 87, 192 
Fenton family, 42, 192 
Fenton, Geoffrey, 192 
Fenton, Captain Robert, 46, 

192 
" Festus," 44, 45, 54, 143 
Finmngley, 1, 37, 39, 47, 87 
First of June, Battle of, 108 
Fishing, 88 
Fiskerton, 88, 190 
Fitzalan, Richard (Earl of 

Arundel), 101 
Fitz Ranulph, Robert, 83 
Fitz William, Humphrey, 71 
Flawborough, 39, 88, 92 
Flawforth, 88 . ' 
Fledborough, 12, 38, 88, 89 
Fleet, the, 12, 56, 76, 89 
Fleming, Alan, 126 
Fletcher, John, 58 
Flintham, 23, 39, 89 
Floods, 14-15, 73 
Foljambe family, 153 
Fonts, list of, 39 
Footscray Place (Kent), 151 
Foss Dyke, 14 
Fosse Way, 23, 35, 63, 78, 

36, 104, 120, 189, 194, 196, 

207 
Foster,28 
Fountain Dale, 89, 90, 158, 

170 
Fowler, Mr Hodgson, 49, 93, 

191 
Fox, George, 173 
Fox Wood, 34, 213 
Franciscan Friars, 41, 43 
Freeland, Mrs Rebecca, 83 
Freeman, Professor, r3i 
Friars, Carmelite, 41 
Friars, Franciscan, 41, 43 
Friars, Observant, 41 



221 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



Frobisher family, 87 
Frobisher, Martin, 47, 87 
Furnival, Gerard de, 214 



Gainsborough, 26, 45, 164, 

165 
Galway, Viscount, 95 
Gamston (Nottingham), 90 
Gamston (E. Retford), 90 
Garnet, Henry, 43, 163 
Gascoigne, Judge, 116 
Gaunt, Gilbert de (Earl of 

Lincoln), 161 
Gaveston, Piers, 173 
Gedling, 38, 90, 189 
Geology, 2-15 
Gilbertines, 40, 117 
Gilstrap, Sir William, 124 
Gipsies ; 166 
Girton, 12, 14, 15, 90 
Gladstone, Mr, 44, 122 
Glass, Stained or Painted, list 

of, 3 8 
Gloucester, Earl of, 131 
Glyndwr, Owen, 135 
Godiva, Lady, 120 
Godric, Earl, 65 
Gonalston, 23, 38, 39, 90, 91 
Gotch, Mr J. A. (quoted), 212 
Gotham, 39, 67, 91 
Gotham, Merry Tales of, 91 
Goushill, Sir Robert, 101 
Gousla, Peter de, 64 
Granby, 38, 39, 40, 91 
Granby, Marquis of, 92 
Grantham Canal, 81 
Grantley, Lord, 85 
Gray, Walter (Archbishop of 

York), 183 
Greasley, 55, 92, 103 
Greece, King of, 102 
Greendale Oak, 170 
Greenhalgh family, 195 
Gretna Green, 89, 115 
Grey of Ruthyn, Lord, 127 
Gringley-on-the-Hill, n, 34, 92, 

118 
Grove, 39, 93, 98, 157 
Grymston, 93, 203 
Guide House, the, 49 
Gunthorpe Bridge, 26, 63 
Gunthorpe, 34, 93 
Guthlac, St, 178 



Gwynne, Nell, 57 
Gypsum, 9, 27, 80 



H 



Hacker, Col. Francis, 46, 63 
Hacker, John, 63 
Hadkins, Elizabeth, 79 
Hadrian, Emperor, 113 
Halam, 8, 38, 39, 93 
Halifax, Marquis of, 44 
Hall, Dr Marshall, 47 
Hall, Dr Spencer, 207 
Hall, Mr T. Dickinson, 204 
Halloughton, 38, 93 
Harby, 94 

Harcourt family, Vernon, 93 
Hardware, 54 
Hard wick, Bess of, 202 
Hard wick Hall, 205 
Hardwick Woods, 75 
Hargreaves, 28 
Harness makers, 28 
Harold, King, 113 
Harworth, 54, 95, 193 
Hastings, battle of, 113, 131 
Hatfield Chase, 70, 95 
Haughton, 37, 44, 74, 95-97 
Hauselin, Ralph, 167 
Hawksworth, 36, 97 
Hawton, 9, 37, 38, 69, 97 
Hayes, 28 
Hayton, 37, 98 
Hayton Castle, 98, 152 
Headon, 38, 98 
" Heart of Midlothian," 188 
Heath (Derbyshire), 5 
Heathfield, battle of, 84 
Hedderley, 28 
Helwys, Edmund, 57 
Helwys, Henry, 162 
Hemlock Stone 8, 34, 62, 98 
Henry I., King, 134, 145 
Henry II., King, 32, 127, 131, 

i34» 174 
Henry III., King, 30, 75, 93 
Henry IV., King, 46, 101, 135 
Henry V., King, 116 
Henry VI., King, 50, 132 
Henry VII., King, 32, 136 
Henry VIII., King, 55, 56, 164, 

177 
Hercy family, 93 
Hercy, Hugh, 93 
Hereford, 32 



222 



INDEX 



Heriz family, de, gi, 2og 
Heriz, William de, gi 
Herringbone Masonry ', 36, 51, 

70, 80, 107, ng, 161 
Hexgrave Park, 87, g8 
Hexham, 175 
Heyth, Nicholas, 111 
Hickling, 36, 38, 3g, 40, g8 
Hildyard, Mr Thoroton, 8g 
Hill Close Camp, 34 
Hoare, 75 

Hockerton, 23, 40, gg 
Hodgson Fowler, Mr, 4g, 03, igi 
Hodsock, 61, gg 
Holden, Mr John, 151 
Hole, Dean, 43, 70, 122 
Holland, 165 
Holies family, 42, 74 
Holies, Denzil, 44, g5, g6 
Holies, John, g5 
Holies, William, g5 
Holliday, 144 
Holme, 38, 40, gg, 118, ng 
Holme Pierrepont, 3g, 45, 

48, 100 
Hooton, Elizabeth, 166, 173 
Hops, 20 
Horse and Stag Inn (Finning- 

ley), 87 
Hose family, 8g 
Hosiery trade, 28, 2g, 106 
Hospitals, 41, 54, 61, 148, 

160 
Houghton, Prior, 55 
Hoveringham, 3g, 100-102, 106, 

ig6 
Howe, Admiral Earl, 46, 108 
Howitt, William and Mary, 44, 

143, 207 
Hucknall Torkard, 22, 44, 66, 

102, 145 
Hucknall-under-Huthwaite, 2, 

102, 205 
Hull, 54 

Humber, the, 11 
Humber Cycle Company, 31, 

56 
Hundreds, 21, 32 
Huntingdon, Henry of (quoted), 

158 < 
Hutchinson, Colonel, 33, 42, 

46, 133, 136, 147, 153, 154, 

167 
Hutchinson, Mrs, 46 
Huthwaite, 2, 102, 205 
Hutt Hotel, 127 



Idle, battle of, 83 

Idle, Old, 158 

Idle, river, 54, 71, 86, go, 112 

116, 117, 160, i8g 
Ilford (Lincolnshire), 64 
Ilkeston (Derbyshire), 55, 80 
Illustrated London Nezvs, 142 
Industries, 26-31 
Ingram, Mr, 142 
" Inn Play or Cornish Hugg 

Wrestler," 67 
Inventors, 47 
Ireton, Henry, 46, 51 
Ireton, John, 51 
Iron, 27 
Irving, Washington (quoted), 

170-171 
Isabella, Queen, 135 



Jackson, Rev. Charles, 166 

Jackson, Richard, 164 

James, 28 

James I., King, g5, 121, 137, 174 

James II., King, 126, 137 

Jeanne Dare, 46 

Jesuits, 43 

John, King, 32, 73, 81, 120, 122, 

132, 134 
Jordan Castle, 203 
Jorz family, de, 68 
Jumieges, 60, 61 

K 

Keble, John, 8g 

Kegworth, 45 

Kelham, 12, 25, 26, 33, 102-103, 

T 74 
Kempe (Archbishop of York), 

180 
Kenilworth (Warwickshire), ig3 
Kersall Lodge, 11 
Keyworth, 23, 37, 3g, 67, 103 
Kilvington, 38, 48, 103, 188 
Kimberley, 5, 27, 103 
Kingshaugh, 13, 81, 103 
Kingsley, Charles, 73 
Kingston, Duke of, 45, igs 
Kingston, Earl of, 46, 100, 133, 

i6g 
Kingston-on-Soar, 22, 103-104 
Kinoulton, 104-105 



223 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



Kinoulton Wolds, 104 
Kirkby, 2, 22, 105 
Kirkby, East, 105 
Kirkby Folly, 105 
Kirkby-in-Ashfield, 105 
Kirkby Woodhouse, 105 
Kirketon Hall, 46 
Kirklington, 38, 39, 105 
Kirk White, Henry, 44, 72, 73, 

94, 143, 144, 206, 207 
Kirton, 85, 105 
Kneesall, 10, 36, 38, 40, 106 
Kneeton, 23, 39, 106 
Knight, Mr Gaily, 186 
Knights Hospitallers of St John 

of Jerusalem, 41, 209 
Knights Templars, 163 



Lace Trade, 28, 30 
Lambley, 13, 38, 106-107 
Laneham, 36, 38, 68, 107 
Langar, 37, 38. 39, 46, 53, 107- 

108, 209 
Langford, n, 108, 118 
Laughten - en - le - Morthen 
(Yorks.), 59 
Lawrence, Prior, 55 
Laxton, 9, 39, 42, 108-110 
Laycock, Colonel, 72 
Laycock family, 85 
Lead, 54 
Leake, East, 9, 23, ^6, 38, 39, 

40, 67, iio-iii, 187 
Leake, West, 39, 91, in 
Leake Hills, West, 20, in 
Lee, Rev. William, 29, 47, 68 
Leeds (Yorkshire), 168 
Leen, river, 169 
Leen Valley, 6, 22 
Leicester Abbey, 174 
Leland (quoted), 114, 146 
Lenton, 33, 39, 40, 41, in, 

i45 
Leofric, Earl of Mercia, 120 
Leper Hospitals, 42, 61 
Leverton, North, 112 
Leverton, South, 37, 39, 112 
Lewis family, 186 
Lexington family, 109 
Lexington, Henry of, 109 
Lide, 32 

Lightfoot, Dr John, 190 
Linby, 19, 38, 112, 156 



Lincoln, 7, a, 12, 14, 23, 35, 

59, 71, 109, 113 
Lincoln, Earl of, 190 
Lindsey, 31, 173, 175 
Liquorice, 20 
Literary Men, 44 
Littleborough, 23, 25, 35, 36, 

80, 113 
Little John, 169 
Livett, Mr (quoted), 176 
Livingstone, Dr David, 47, 128 
Llewellyn, Prince, 135 
London, Lord Mayor of, 51, 

95 
Longchamp, Wm. (Bishop of 

Ely), 174 
Longotten, 150 
Loughborough (Leicestershire), 

16, 62 
Lound, 113, 194 
Lound Hall, 96 
Lovel, Lord, 190 
Lovetot, William de, 214 
Lowdham, 16, 22, 39, 66, 113-114 
Lowdham, John de, 114 
Lowe, Mr Lawson (quoted), 191, 

203 
Lowe, Rt. Hon. Robert, 44 
Luddite Riots, 29, 133 
Lungvillers, John de, 41 



M 

Magnus, Dr Thomas, 43, 122, 

172 
Maid Marian, 84, 170 
Major Oak, 84, 170 
Malkin Hills, 166 
Malting, •z'j 
Malton Grammar School 

(Yorks.), 117 
Manners Sutton family, 103 
Mansfield, 6, 7, 15, 16, 18, 19, 

22, 23, 31, 35, 45, 49> 73, 114- 

115, 169 
Mansfield Woodhouse, 6, 38, 

JI 5 . . 

Mansfield, William de, 114 
Manvers family, 100 
Manvers, Earl, 195 
Manvers, third Earl, 156 
Maplebeck, 8, 13, 38, 115-116 
Mapperley Plains, 8, 107 
Maresco, Walter de, 75 
Margidunum, 35, 63 



224 



INDEX 



Markham Clinton, 8, 39, 116, 

117, 118 
Markham, East, 38, 39, 89, 116 
Markham, Ellis, 107 
Markham family, 42, 72, 79 
Markham, Sir Griffin, 152 
Markham, Jervase, 107 
Markham, Sir John, 79, 116 
Markham, Robert, 126 
Markham, West, 116 
Marnham, 47, 116-117 
Marnham, High, 117 
Marnham, Low, 15, 117 
Martin, 54 
Mary, Queen, 177 
Mary Queen of Scots, 104, 214 
Matilda, Empress, 131 
Mattersey, 40, 117, 160 
Mattersey, Roger de, 117 
Maulovell family, 157 
Maun, river, 57, 82, 114, 152, 

200 
" Mayflower, the " 165 
Maypole, 112, 203 
Meath, Earls of, 133 
Meden, river, 57, 62, 66, 82, 

169, 172, 200 
Meldrum, Sir John, 121 
Mellish, Colonel, 99 
Mellers, Dame Agnes, 150 
Mellors, 28 
Men of Action, 46 
Merchants of the Staple, 27, 59 
Mercia, 31, 130 
Mereworth Castle (Kent), 151 
Mering, 117, 194 
Meryng, Dame Millicent, 116 
Meryng, Thomas, 126 
Meryng, Sir William, 163 
Meymote, Margaret, 115 
Mickleborough Hill, 9 
Middleton, Lord, 108 
Mill, Stump, 50 
Miller, Thomas, 44, 207 
Millhouse, Robert, 44 
Millington family, 87 
Millington, Gilbert, 46, 87 
Milton, 116, 117-118 
Misericords, list oj, 38 
Missolonghi, 145 
Misson, 19, 118 
Misterton, 12, 19, 37, 39, 118 
Mixbury (Oxfordshire), 193 
Molineux, Sir Thomas, 97 
Molyneux family, 42, 195 
Mompesson, Rev. George, 115 



Mompesson, Rev. William, 43, 

82, 115 
Montacute, William de, 101 
Montagu, Hon. Frederick, 155 
Montague, Lady Mary Wortley, 

45, i95 
Montfort, Simon de, 93 
Montgomery, James, 142 
Moor, Rev. Marmaduke, 152 
Moore, Thomas, 45 
Moorhouse, 13 
Morcar, 131 
" Morris, Dinah," 45 
Morris, William, 204 
Mortimer, Earl, 135 
"Mortimer's Hole," 8, 135 
Morton, 118 
Mowbray, Thomas, 101 
Murray, James, 115 
Murray, Old Joe, 115 
Musicians , 46 

Muskham, North, 38, 40, 118-119 
Muskham, South, 14, 26, 38, 

119 
Musters family, 48, 77, 78, 

209 
Musters, Mrs, 49 



N 

Neolithic Age, 34 
Nettleworth Hall, 119, 202 
Neville family, 161, 214 
Neville's Cross, battle of, 135 
Newark, 7,9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 23, 
27, 33, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 5i» 
59, 75, 93, 119-126, 189, 190, 
196, 213 

— Beaumond Cross, 123 

— bridge, 26, 

— Castle, 15, 25, 42, 120-123 

— church, S3, 37, 38, 39, 40, 
120, 124-126 

— friars at, 41 

— Henry de, 44 

— Hundred, 21, 32, 188 

— Magnus Grammar School, 
15, 122 

— North Gate, 41 

— population of, 22 

— St Catherine's Well, 124 

— Sconce Hills, 124 

— trade, 120 
Newbold, 105, 119 
Newcastle-on-Tyne, 30 



225 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



Newcastle (on Tyne), Duke of, 

74, 202 
Newcastle (under Lyme), Duke 

of, 62, 74, 85, 96, 117, 133, 

137, 149, 172 
Newmarsh, Sir Hugh de, 204 
Newstead, 2, 7, 19, 40, 44, 66, 

126-128, 185 
Newton, 63 
Norfolk, Duke of, 101 
Norjnan Architecture ; 36-37 
Norman, Thomas, 117 
Normanton Inn, 85 
Normanton-on-Soar, 37, 39, 129 
Normanton-on-Trent, 129 
Northumbria, 31 
Norwell, 23, 37, 129 
Norwich, 28, 164 
Nottingham, 7, 8, 12, 19, 23, 33, 

34, 44, 45, 47, 49, 54, 62, 63, 

69, 71, 72, 81, 100, 102, 107, 

in, 121, 129-151, 156, 161, 

169, 187 

— Arboretum, the, 149-150 

— boroughs, the two, 140 

— Castle, 15, 32, 42, 46, 131, 

132, i34" I 39 

— Castle Museum, 88, 138-139 

— Castle Rock, 7, 8, 18 

— Cemetery, Church, 8, 150 

— Charters, 132 

— Churches. See Sts 

— Cross, Hen, 141 

— Cross, Malt, 141 

— Forest, the, 150 

— Friars, 41 

— Gardens, Allotment, 143 

— Goose Fair, 141-142 

— Hethbeth Bridge, 148 

— High School, 150 

— Hospitals, 41-42 

— Hospital, Children's, 150 

— Hospital, General, 135, 136, 
150 

— Industries, 26-31 

— Lammas Fields, 140 

— Libraries, 142, 151 

— Market Place, 140 

— Meadows, 18 

— Mortimer's Hole, 8, 135 

— Natural History Museum, 

151 

— Parishes, 140 

— Park, the, 149 

— Plumtree's Hospital, 42 

— population, 21, 22 



Nottingham Public Halls, 150 

— Race Course, 77 

— Railways, 24 

— rainfall at, 15-16 

— Roman Catholic Cathedral, 
147-148 

— St Catherine's Church, 205 

— St James' Church, 135 

— St Mary's Church, 35, 38, 
145-147, 173 

— St Mary's Hill, 34 

— St Nicholas' Church, 136, 
147 

— St Nicholas' Rectory, 43 

— St Peter's Church, 147 

— Streets, 13, 28, 34, 41, 135, 
140, 141, 142 

— Theatres, 150 

— Town Wall, 140 

— Trade, 132, 133 

— Trent Bridge, 14, 25, 26, 41, 
78, 131, 133, 148-149, 156 

— University College, 151 

— Vault Hall, 143 

— Water Supply, 62 
White Friars, 141 

— Wilford Bridge, 72, 206 
Nottingham, Earl of, 101 
Nottingham, William de, 28, 

43 

Notts., Derbyshire and York- 
shire Coalfield, 4 

Notts., History of, 31-33 

Nunburnholme (Yorks.), 168 

Nuttall, 19, 38, 39, 151 

Nuttall Temple," 151 



Oak, Parliament, 73 
Oakes, Mr Gerard, 87 
Observant Friars, 41 
Odingsells, John, 86 
Oldfield, 28 
Oldham, John, 45, 100 
Oldox Camp, 154 
Oliva, Lady, 192 
Ollerton, 73, 152 
Open Fields, 108 
Ordsall, 38, 152, 160 
Orrock, James, 47 
Orston, 37, 39, 152-153 
Osberton Hall, 153, 163 
Ossington, 39, 41, 44, i53 
Ossington, Viscount, 44, 124 
Oswardebec, Hundred of, 32 



ll6 



INDEX 



Ouse, river, 54 

Oven, the, 13 

Owthorpe, 38, 39, 46, 153-154 

Oxford, Earl of, 202 

Oxton, 8, 36, 38, 86, 154-155 



Palace, King John's, 73 
Paleolithic Age, 33 
Palladio, 151 
Papplewick, 16, 38, 155 
Parkyns, Colonel, T. B., 67 
Parkyns, Sir Thomas, 67 
Parliament Oak, 73 
Paul, 28 

Paulinus, 43, 59, 173, 174, 175 
Pauncefote, Lady, 189 
Pauncefote, Rt. Hon. Julian, 

Baron, 189 
Peacock, Mr, 187 
Peckham, Reynold, 153 
Pelham family, 74, 96 
Penrose, Miss Mary, 89 
Penrose, Mrs, 116 
Penrose, Rev. John, 89 
Perlethorpe, 69, 156, 169 
Perpendicular Architecture, 38 
Peveril family, 42 
Peveril, William, in, 131, 145 
Pierrepont family, 100 
Pilgrimage of Grace, 32, 33, in 
Pilgrim Fathers, 51, 52, 164-166 
Pilkington, Mr C. M. S., 210 
Pinxton, 31 
Pit Coal, 30 

Plantagenet, Geoffrey, 174 
Plaster of Paris, 120 
Player, 31 

Pleasley (Derbyshire), 19 
Pleasley Hill, 156 
Plumtree, 36, 38, 156 
Plumtree family, 156 
Pope, 45 
Population, distribution of, 21, 

35 
Portland, Duke of, 74, 96, 202 
Potter's Hill, 23 
Poulter, river, 81 
Power loom, invention of, 47, 

116 
Poyntz, Major-General, 209 
Prehistoy'ic remains, 33 
Premonstratensians , 40, 64, 202 
Preston, battle of, 192 



Pretender, the Young, no 

Printing, 147 

Pugin, 147 

Puiset, Hugh de (Bishop of 

Durham), 174 
Pulpits, list of 38 



Quakeis, 166, 173 



R 

Radcliffe-on-Soar, 37, 39, 156-157 
Radcliffe-on-Trent, n, 22, 25, 

157, 166 
Radford (IS 1 ottingham), 156 
Radford (Worksop), 156, 214 
Ragnall, 157 
Raihvays, 24 
Rainfall, 15-16 
Rainworth, 83, 90, 157-158 
Rainworth Lodge, 20 
Rainworth Water, 89, 152, 158 
Raleigh Cycle Company, 31 
Rampton, 39, 157 
Rampton family, de, 157 
Rancliffe, Lord, 67 
Ranskill, 159 
Ravenspur, 46 
Ray, 47 

Rayner family, 82 
Raynes, Robert, 186 
Red Hill, 49 
Redwald, King, 83, 158 
Registers, Church, 69, 76, 156 
Regnhere, 158 
Religious Houses, list of 40 
Rempstone, 159 
Rempstone family, 42 
Rempstone, Sir Thomas, 46 
Repton, 178, 194 
Repton Grange, 194 
Retford, East, 7, 8, 20, 22, 23, 

26, 34> 35, 38, 83, 93, 159-T60 
Retford, West, 38, 160 
Reynolds, 144 
Richard I., King, 7^) 81, 134, 

. x 59 
Richard II., King, 57, 116, 132, 

135, 151 
Richard III., King, 32, 132, 135, 



227 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



Ridding, Dr (Bishop of South- 
well), 177, 198 
Rievaulx (Yorkshire), 161, 180 
Ripon (Yorkshire), 175, 177 
Rivers. See Cocker Beck, 
Devon, Dover Beck, Erewash, 
Fleet, Idle, Leen, Maun, 
Meden, Poulter, Rainworth 
Water, Ryton, Smite, Trent, 
Whitewater, Wink 
Roads, 23-24 
Road, Great North, 15, 23, 53, 

54> "9> 130, 199 
— Fosse Way, 23, 35, 63, 78, 86, 

104, 120, 189, 194, 196, 207 
— Till Bridge Lane, 23, 113 
Robin Hood, 43, 59, 84, 90, 169- 

170 
Robin Hood's Cave, 200 
Robin Hood's Hill, 2, 7 
Robin Hood's Well, 55 
Robinson, John, 164 
Rochester, Robert, 164 
Roger, Archbishop of York, 160 
Romans, 13, 31, 34, 35, 53, 58, 

63, 64, 65, 71, 82, 113, 114, 149, 

156, 173, 191, 207 
Rolleston, 36, 37, 38, 161 
Rolleston family, 202 
Rolls, Hundred, 54 
Romsey Abbey, 181 
Rooke, Major Hayman, 84, 115 
Rosamund, Fair, 174 
Roses, Wars of the, 32, 132 
Rossi, 47 

Rotherham, Archbishop, 109 
Rouen, St Katherine's, 60 
Royston Gower, 45 
Ruddington, 22, 41, 46, 67, 88, 

161 
Rufford, 7, 40, 44, 161-162 
Rugby School, 89 
Rupert, Prince, 93, 121, 209 
Rushcliffe, Hundred of, 21, 32, 

9i 
Rutland, Earl of, 56, 92, 137 
Ryton, river, 164, 214 



Sacheverell family, 42, 53, 157 
St Albans, Duke of, 57 
St Andrew family, 91 
St Patricius family, 151 
Salmon family, 146 
Salvation Army, 43 
Sampson, Rev. William, 71 



Sandby, Paul, 47 

Sandby, Thomas, 47 

Sand dimes, 12, 90 

Sandiacre (Derbyshire), 187 

Sandown (Kent), 154 

Sandys, Archhishop of York, 

182 
Sarum, 192 
Saundby, 162 
Savile, Lord, 161 
Savile, Mr Augustus, 58 
Savile, Mr Henry, 58 
Savile, Sir George, 82 
Savonarola, 147 

Saw, Inventor of Circular, 115 
Saxendale, 162 
Saxons, 31, 130, 154 
Saxon Architecture, 36, 58, 63, 

70, 86, 97, 98, 106, no, 155, 

156, 161, 167, 168, 187, 216 
Scarle, South, 4, 36, 38, 40, 162- 

163 
Scarlet, Will, 59 
Scarrington, 23, 37, 50, 163 
Scarthing Moor, 13 
Scientists, 47 
Scofton, 153, 163 
Scot, Thomas (Bishop of 

Lincoln), 123 
Scott's Chamber, Nan, 100 
Scott, Sir Gilbert, 56, 71, 102 
Scott, Sir W T alter, 90, 123, 188 
Screens, list of, 38 
Screveton, 37, 38, 39, 43, 46, 

163, 204 
Scrimshire family, 78 
Scrooby, 20, 38, 40, 43, 51, 160, 

164-166 
Scrope family, 42 
Scrope of Bolton, Lord, 108 
Sea Coal, 30 
Seeker, Archbishop, 43, 92, 168, 

172 
Secular Canons, definition of, 

176 
Sedley, Sir Charles, 151 
Segelocum, 35, 113 
Selston, 37, 39, 166 
Separatists, 52, 165 
Serlby Park, 95, 166 
Shakespeare, 43 
Shambles Oak, 170 
Sharpe, 53 
Shaw, 79 
Shaw, Alfred, 90 
Shawm, no 



228 



INDEX 



Sheffield, 54 

Shelford, 36, 40, 153, 162, 166- 

167, 209 
Shelton, 36, 37, 88, 168 
Sherbrooke, Viscount, 44 
Sherwood Forest, 7, 17, 19, 21, 

3o, 3*j 43, 49, 56, 57, 81, 84, 

112, 114, 134, 152, 155, 162, 

168-171, 173, 195 
Shireoaks, 172 
Shrewsbury (Shropshire), 32 
Shrewsbury, Arthur, 90 
Shrewsbury, battle of, 101 
Shrewsbury, Earl of, 161, 214 
Sibthorpe, 37, 41, 43, 88, 172 
Simnel, Lambert, 32, 136, 190 
Simon the Forester, 170 
Simpson family, 52 
Six Hills, 1, 23, 189 
Skegby, 172-173 
Skerry, 8, 13 
Sloswicke, Richard, 160 
Smeaton, John, 119 
Smirke, Sir R., 118 
Smite, river, 49, jj, 88, 98, 203 
Smith family, 62, 189, 199 
Smith, John, 99 

Smith, John (Gainsborough), 164 
Smithe, Jhon, 119 
Smythson, Robert, 210, 211 
Sneinton, 38, 173 
Soar Valley, no 
Somerset, Lord Protector, 167 
Sookholme, 36, 39, 173 
" Sorrel, Hetty," 45 
Southwell, 7, 8, 20, 35, 36, 37, 

38, 40, 42, 43, 46, 59, 97, 120, 

122, 128, 129, 173-186 
Spalford (Lincolnshire), 14 
Spigurnell, Edmund, 173 
Spigurnell, Henry, 173 
Spofforth, Reginald, 46, 175 
Stamford (Lincolnshire), 193 
Stanford-on-Soar, 39, 186 
Stanhope family, 42, 72, 95, 96, 

157, 162, 167 
Stanhope, Col. Michael, 208 
Stanhope, Sir Michael, 167 
Stanhope, Philip, 167 
Stanley, Mr H. M., 128 
Stanton-on-the-Wolds, 39, 187 
Staple, merchants of the, 27 
Stapleford, 36, 39, 46, 187 
Stapleton family, 68 
Statesmen, 44 
Staunton, 38, 39, 188 



Staunton family, 188 
Stephen, King, 32, 131, 134 
Sterne, Archbishop, 114 
Sterne, Lawrence, 114 
Stevenson, Mr W., 109 
Stocking frame, 29, 68 
Stockwith, West, 15, 25, 26, 

189 
Stoke Bardolph, 53, 189 
Stoke, East, 25, 32, 37, 38, 42, 

79, 136, 189, 194, 196 
Stokeham, 190 
Stone Man of West Bridgford, 

6 4 
Stow (Lincolnshire), 120 
Strelley, 16, 38, 39, 57, 62, 191, 

213 
Strelley family, 147, 191 
Strelley, Richard de, 56, 213 
Strelley, Sir Sampson de, 191, 

213 
Sturton-le-Steeple, 37, 38, 46, 

19T-192 
Styrrup, 192-193 
Suttons of Averham, 51 
Sutton Bonington, 16, 39, 193 
Sutton-cum-Lound, 40, 194 
Sutton, Henry, S., 45, 207 
Sutton-in-Ashfield, 22, 39, 102, 

194 
Sutton-on-Trent, 38, 40, 81, 194 
Sutton Passeys, 211 
Sutton, William, 52 
Sweetaple, Rev. W., 89 
Syerston, 37, 38, 194-195 



Talbot family, 214 

Tallard, Marshal, 143 

Tattershall (Lincolnshire), 80 

Taylor, Jeremy, 122 

Temperature, 16 

Teversal, 2, 38, 39, 40, 195, 205 

Tevery family, 187 

Thomas 1 1. , Archbishop of York, 

177 
Thoresby, 7, 45, 66, 152, 169, 

195 
Thorney, 1, 195-196 
Thornhaugh, Sir Francis, 192 
Thoroton, 36, 39, 88, 196 
Thoroton, Dr Robert, 45, 69, 81, 

89, 118, 196 
Thoroton Society, 55, 164 



229 



NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



Thorpe, 37, 196-197 
Thorpe-in-the-Glebe, 67, 187, 

197 
Thorpe, John, 211 
Thorpe, Margaret de, 106 
Thorpe, Sir William de, 196 
Three Shire Bush, 188 
Thrumpton, 34, 197 
Thurgarton, 4, 23, 38, 40, 91, 94, 

101, 197 
Thurgarton, Hundred of, 22, 

32 
Thurland, Thomas, 146 
Tickhill (Yorkshire), 23, 60, 

192 
Till Bridge Lane, 35, 113, 191 
Tiovulfingacester, 59, 174, 175 
Tiuogobauc, 130 
Tobacco, 31 
Tollerton, 22, 198 
Tomlinson, Elizabeth, 45 
Torksey (Lincolnshire), 14 
Tournament Field, Blyth, 192 
Transitional Norman Archi- 
tecture, 37 
Trent, the, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 
22, 24-26, 35, 36, 51, 54> 56, 59> 
61, 63, 67, 70, 90, 93, 99, 100, 
101, 102, 106, 107, 112, 113, 
ti6, 118, 120, 148, 161, 169, 

173; *75, 189, 190 

Trent Valley, 2, 9, 14, 15, 19, 31, 

132, 166, 174, 206 
Treswell, 198 
Trowell, 22, 39, 198 
Tuck, Friar, 89, 90, 169, 170 
Tudor, Margaret, 199 
Tuxford, 8, 9, 23, 24, 39, 41, 169, 

198-199, 201, 203 
Tythby, 22, 81, 199, 209 



Underwood, 200 
Upton, 9, 23, t6i, 



V 

Vernometum, 35, 207 
Victoria, Queen, 58, 159 
Villa Capra Vicenza, 151 
Venis, 71 
Voce, Mary, 45 



W , 

Wakefield, Gilbert, 43 
Wales Coalfield, South, 4 
Walesby, 200 
Walkeringham, 38, 40, it8, 200- 

201 
Wallingwells, 40, 201 
Wapentakes, 32 
Waplington, 79 
Warburton family, 168 
Warburton, Bishop, 43, 122 
Warinford, 193 
Warren, Arthur, 187 
Warren, Sir John Borlase, 46, 

187 
Wars of the Roses, 32, 189 
Warsop, 18, 38, 169, 201-202 
Warwick, 193 

Wasteneys, Sir Hardolph, 98 
Waterloo, battle of, 79, 
Wate?' Supply, 62 
Wath Bank, 14 
Watnall, 66, 202 
Weavers, Guild of , 27 
Webb, MrW. F., 128 
Webster, Prior, 55 
Welbeck, 7, 40, 74, 96, 202-203, 

204, 214 
Welham, 203 

Wellow, 8, 19, 39, 169, 203 
Welsh Hostages, murder of, 135 
West, Lady Georgiana, 167 
Weston-on-Trent, 203 
Whalley family, 42, 43, 172 
Whalley, Edward, 46, 163 
Whalley, Richard, 163, 202 
Whatton, 39, 50, 203-204 
Whatton, Long (Leicestershire), 

77 . . 

Whatton, Sir Richard de, 204 
Whatton, Robert de, 204 
Wheatley, 79 
Wheatley, North, 38, 39, 40, 

205 
Wheatley, South, 205 
Whitby (Yorkshire), 180 
White family, 201 
White, Bishop of Peterborough, 

126 
White, the late Mr Robert, 213 
Whiteborough, 205 
" White Lady of Newstead," 66 
Whitewater Common, 192 
Whitewater, river, 200, 205 
Whitlock, 144 



23O 



INDEX 



WidmerpooL 205 
Wildbore, Rev. Charles, 65 
Wildman, Colonel, 12S 
Wilford, 13, 25, 26, 169, 206-207 
Wilford Hill, 137 
Wilfrid, St, 68, 119, 175, 176 
Willey, Mr, 61 

William I., King, 32, 113, 131 
William III., King, 137 
William IV., King, 77 
William the Lion, 73 
Williamson, Francis, 201 
Willoughby Field, battle of, 208 
Willoughby-on-the- Wolds, 23, 

35, 6j, 207-208, 211 
Willoughby family, 59, 133, 166, 

207-208, 210 
Willoughby, Bridget, 210 
Willoughby, George, 79 
Willoughby, Sir Francis, 47, 

211, 212 
Willoughby, Henry, 210 
Willoughb}'-, Sir Hugh, 47, 65, 

208, 212 
Willoughby, Percy, 210 
Willoughby, Sir Richard de, 

207 
Willoughby, Richard, 210 
Wilton, 193 

Wimeswold (Leicestershire), 10 
Wink, river, 208 
Winkburn, 36, 38, 41, 208 
Winthorpe, 12, 209 
Wiseton Hall, 72, 209 
With am, river, n, 25 



Wiverton Hall, 49, 153, 209 
Wo ad, 20 
Wolds, the, 2, 10 
Wolf hunt family, 115 
Wollaton, 30, 34, 39, 208, 209-210 
Wollaton Hall, 30, 47, 210-212 
Wolse3^, Cardinal, 43, 120, 164, 

172, 174 
Wood, Coniah, 28 
Wood, John, 213 
Woodborough, 23, 34, 37, 38, 39, 

69, 212 
Woodcock, Thomas, 55 
Wool trade, 27, 120 
Woolley, Mr T. C. Smith, 64 
Worcester, 176 
Wordsworth, William, 143 
Worksop, 7, 20, 22, 23, 26, 34, 35, 

37, 40, 68, 70, 80, 87, 164, 200, 

201, 213-215 
Worksop Manor, 75 
Wren, Christopher, 163 
Wright, Mr Stephen, 74 
Wright, Mr Thomas, 147 
Wyld, Gervase, 202 
Wysall, 23, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 

67, 196, 215-216 



York, 113 

York, Archbishops of, 68, 104, 

107, 148, 151, 174 
Yorkshire, 23, 118 



231 



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